


PANIC!!! on the ice

by queerabacus



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Family, Family Drama, Fluff, Its pretty fluffy tbh, Otabek is 18, Social Media, Trans Character, Trans Yuri Plisetsky, Yurio POV, Yurio is 18, Yuris anxiety, competitions, ice skating banter, non existent, relevant warning in chapters, what are time zones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-09-14 19:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9199601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerabacus/pseuds/queerabacus
Summary: (Original title: Yurio calls them dad by accident)An overly long story of finding family, love and a home.....basically, no one can keep their hands off of social media or each other.





	1. Homescreen

Yurio loses himself in the circles he skates, watching peacefully as the blades flick up chips of ice. He lets his frustration drain from him, moving around the rink like the blades had always been on his feet.

“Were you born with skates?” Otabek laughs from the side of the rink, where he's watching over Skype, the computer he'd borrowed was balanced precariously on the rinks' ledge.

“No, I was blessed by Russian gods.” Yurio snorted, skating back towards Otabek on the laptop, taking the wireless headphones out, just in time to watch Beka's yawn onscreen. “Aww, poor Kazakh can’t handle early mornings?” He drank as Beka frowned grumpily at him, pulling his pillow closer to him.

“I’ll try calling you at 3am and see how you feel,” Beka muttered bitterly, Yurio watched as he reached over to grab something off screen, the cover moving over his body slightly. He came back with his phone, and Yurio barely had time to process the quick movement before Beka shouted “Smile!” into the mic and a bright flash blinded him.

 

“Argh! What the heck Altin!?” Yurio complained, blinking the imprint of the sudden light out of his eyes.

 

“Just preparing you for next week at the competition. All the paparazzi are going to want a piece of you after _that_ routine.” Beka whistled and Yurio thanked everything that the skater was looking at his phone and not him, heat flickering his cheeks. It was still strange having a friend who could tease and compliment him so easily.

 

“Vultures. All of them.” Yurio huffed, putting the headphones back in so he could talk and do some simple step sequences. He wanted some distance before he told Beka this. He waited a moment to steady himself, did a toe loop, then on his landing breathed out. “One of those idiots had the nerve to ask about my transition.” He spat out a piece of blonde hair, and glanced at Beka.

 

The other skater had a look of pure annoyance that made Yurio glad he’d trusted him with that news … Years ago now. A notification pinged his phones, and he skated back towards the laptop to open up Instagram where he’d been tagged.

 

**@t-ota-lly-bekaful**

[image: startled yuri taking a drink of water with otabek smiling in the corner taking the pic]

Getting a sneak preview to **@yuri-plisexy** s FS!

_7k_

 

Snorting, Yurio smashed his fingers into the keyboard.

 **@t-ota-lly-bekfal** ur tittys showing

 

Without a word, he watched as Beka on Skype saw the comment, frown, then squint at his phone. His friend let out a long laugh, rolling to one side still chucking.

“What? You’re the nipple police now?”

“Skater by day, protector of virtue by night.”

"It's technically neither right now."

 

Another notification pinged, and Yurio frowned seeing it was from Viktor.

 

**@viktor-ious**

[image: the Hasetsu ice rink from a distance, showing the laptop balanced on the edge of the rink with yuri smiling at the screen]

Well now we know where the laptop went! D:< **@yuri-plisexy**

_9k_

 

Posted _2 seconds ago_?? That would mean-

“Yurio! We needed the laptop to talk to Yakov! Why did you take it?” Viktor pouted, calling out from the other side of the rink. In his headphones, Beka was already laughing. “Shut up!” He hushed a whisper, staring at Viktor, trying to tap off Skype without looking behind him. But he lost his balance when it was snatched away.

“Hey! Give that bac-”

“Yuri, that’s not a safe place to put the laptop you know that right? It’s the only one my family have so it would have been nice to ask before you borrowed it.” Yuuri scalding always felt more personal, and the heat rushed to Yurio's face.

“You trap me in Japan to ‘train’ with you, or whatever you want to call your flirting and leave me stranded, who else am I supposed to talk to?”

“Talk to?” Yuuri frowned, blinking down to register the face on the screen against the glare of his glasses. Yuuri let out a small shriek, not realising Beka was on screen - recording the whole thing obviously - “Ah! O-otabek! Sorry for not saying hi when we came in but we just wanted to know where the laptop, and Yurio, was of course-”

“It’s no problem Katsuki. It was worth it for the entertainment.” Bekas eyes found his and Yurio flipped him off behind Yuuri's back. Viktor's grumble of “yurioo.” came disapprovingly behind him. Sulking, Yurio folded his arms and skated towards the side rink again.

“I- I can’t hear you sorry!” Yuuri explained to Otabek, his hands visibly shaking - the idiot - and Yurio rolled his eyes. He disconnect the bluetooth headphones and let the laptop sort itself out so the three of them could hear Beka properly.

“Beka just says that you and Viktor are idiots and should let us talk by ourselves.”

“Hahhaa.” Yuuri fake laugh, darting his eyes to Yurio's asking _did he really? We can leave its fine!_ What an idiot. He was about to say so but Viktor's big mouth talked over him.

“Otabeka!” Cheered the older skater, swinging the laptop about in a way that made both Yuris’ freak out, waving their hands for him to not do that. Viktor placed the laptop down on the rink edge again, but facing away from Yurio this time. _Rude._ Grumbling, he got off the ice and let Yuuri help him put on his skate guards before moving back into the screen.

 

Viktor was asking some questions about the routine Otabek skated, and Yurio could feel himself getting tenser by the second. He trusted Beka but it was early in the morning and he knew that Otabek wasn’t always 100% with the program at this sort of time. Better to break up the conversation now before it took a turn Yurio couldn't handle right now.

Behind Viktor's back, Yurio made cutting motions across his throat very visibly. Beka caught his eye and nodded slightly, while Viktor turned away for a moment, he mouthed at Yurio - “ _talk later?_ ” Yurio glanced at Yuuri and Viktor who was answering his question. Yes, he nodded back. Otabek gave a half grin and then waited for Viktor to turn back before interrupting him.

“Ah - Viktor? It’s nice to talk but I must go.” Viktor's face and shoulders drooped, and Yurio could _feel_ the dark cloud of Yuuri's anxiety forming.

“Ah, well of course. Wait! Could you take a picture of us before you go?” Viktor said in that dumb puppy voice. Yurio had been grumpily comparing Viktor to his (much better) dog when he was suddenly being dragged into a Viktor choke-like hold. “Wait-! No-! I-!” He made a scrabble away but he’d been caught. Otabek reassured them that the picture would be up on the web later, and Yurio took that time to scrape out of Viktor's embrace.

 

 _How is this my life_ , he sighed inwardly, as Viktor and Yuuri said their goodbyes.

 

-

 

**@t-ota-lly-bekaful**

[image: Yurio looking pissed off under Viktor's arm with Yuuri doing bunny ears on him with a shy smile, with a smiling Otabek in the corner on Skype taking the photo with his phone]

Family photo! **@yuri-plitsexy @viktor-ious @katsudon-yuuri**

_13k_

 

-

 

Yuri stared at the picture. Enlarged it. Took a screenshot. Saved it as his home screen. Tried not to think too hard about the tight squeezing feeling in his chest.

  
-


	2. Borscht

**_A month earlier_ **

 

Nikolav Piletsky watches his grandson loop the ice rink with a firm determined look on his face, one that reminded Nikolav of his mother. And, just like Yuri’s mother, Yuri outshone every skater in the arena by miles. He sighed heavily, leaning his arms against the rink. Unfortunately, that was the reason he was here.

-

Viktor caught sight of Nikolav before Yuri did - not surprising, since the younger skater seemed determined to nail that triple axel in just one practice session. Viktor had already tried tempting him over to the bleachers to have food, or even just a drink, but was brushed aside in typical Yurio fashion. Nikolav had become a familiar face in the rink, when he had time to come and support Yuri he would be there.

“Nikolav! How are you?”

“Ah, Viktor. I … came to ask you a favour.” Viktor’s smile wobbled slightly, he didn’t do well with favours as he had a tendency to forget them. His hand was already itching to text Yuuri to ask what he should do.

  
“Of course!” Viktor smiled brightly, but gave Nikolav a pleading look. “Would you mind waiting for a moment? I need to send a text.”

He sprung to his messages as soon as Nikolav nodded.

 

-

“ _Borscht_?” Nikolav chortled, glad that he wasn’t paying for the meal if this was the kind of place Viktor liked to eat at. He shook that thought away, he was about to ask a huge favour, he could at least be considerate.

“It’s nothing! I adore this place.” Viktor replied cheerfully, taking a few slurps of his own meal before folding his hands in front of him. “Now. The favour.”

 

Nikolav raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn’t often he saw the switch between the excitable Viktor and the serious, and he was always impressed when he did. Really, he was undeserving of the status the press gave him. Nikolav met Viktors blue eyes for a long moment and felt he could trust them. If Viktor could be this serious about a favour … maybe he could trust Viktor with his beloved Yuri. Taking a deep breath, he asked -

 

“Can you take Yuri with you to Japan? To train?” Nikolav pleaded in a low voice. He was not a man who begged, but if it came to it he would. Watching closely, he saw that Viktors’ face flickered with surprise but otherwise remained serious.

 

“Is this about …. his mother again?” Viktor questioned quietly.

 

“Yes … unfortunately.” Nikolav sighed, moving the borscht aside sadly. “You are aware that she disapproves of his lifestyle.”

 

Viktors’ disdainful laugh made Nikolav wince slightly. Despite his daughters flaws, she was still his daughter. He cleared his throat. “ I can understand if-”

 

“How long?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“How long do you want him to train in Japan with me?”

 

Nikolov floundered for a moment, a deep sense of gratitude welling up. “A-as long as he wants to stay? Sadly, stubbornness is a trait in the Plisetsky family,” Viktor smiled at that, “And Yuri can’t change his self, and his mother doesn’t want to-” He stopped when Viktor lay a hand gently on his arm.

 

“I understand.”

Using up the last of his reserve, Nikolov added, “As far as I’m concerned …. Yuri has two families.” He politely ignored Viktor as the skater dabbed at his eyes. Feeling emotionally drained, Nikolov reached over to shake Viktors’ hand. “You are an incredibly kind man, Viktor. Please, make my Yuri be the same.” Viktor nodded and shook his hand firmly.

They discussed plans, and decided Yurio would stay with Viktor, as he had in the past, then fly to Japan in a week. Back at his apartment Viktor had, of course, asked Yuuri if he and his family wouldn’t mind helping out by providing rooms and - after an hour phone call calming Yuuri down from the lack of warning - they had agreed. Yurio would be training with Viktor in Japan.

Exhausted, Viktor collapsed on his couch.

-

“He’s taking me back to Japan with him!” Yurio complained, stuffing a suit case carelessly with stuff. His grand dad picked up the clothes and folded them neatly to put them in. “Just so he can put me through _torture_ of seeing them together!”

 

His grandad chuckled. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Viktor's a nice man.”

 

“....yea, sometimes.” Yurio mumbled, thinking back on the times Viktor let him stay at the apartment after a fight with his mother. “But you haven’t seen him when he’s with Yuuri! It’s awful! There was this time -”

Nikolav smiled, watching his grandson rant, calmly packing the suitcase.

-

In his apartment, Viktor stared long and hard at the wall, blankly until the question suddenly struck him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everyones enjoying! :)  
> planning on some more yurio and viktor dynamic so thats happening  
> please leave a comment telling me what you liked about this chapter or any characters you'd like to see! :)


	3. Hair today

Yurio stared up at his phone from his bed, his attention drifting in and out. There was something ... off about his free skate. He had felt it the first time he'd performed it, something was missing. Tired from training and thinking, his eyes shut and his mind wandered in memories.

 

_ 3 years ago _

 

“Ha! Your hair was so long back then, you looked like a girl!” Yuri laughed, pointing at the screen where a much younger Viktor waved to the crowds.

“That was the idea.” Viktor agreed, non plussed. Yuri was shocked. 

“W-what? You don’t care I just called you a girl?”

“No. My outfit was to suggest multiple genders, and feminine was part of that look.” 

“Weren’t you embarrassed? It’s so long! It would have got in the way of skating!”

Viktor shrugged, searching inside his bag for his phone. “So you adjust around having long hair.” There was silence, and when Viktor looked up, Yuri’s was staring at him in awe. “Yuri?” 

At his name, Yuri nodded though his expression still seemed spaced out. “Y-yea. See you later.”

Viktor watched the young skater walk off in deep thought.

 

_ A few months after that ... _

 

Surprise filled Viktors' face, and he had to tap the skaters shoulder to see if it was actually him. “Yuri!” Viktor crowed in delight, “Your hair is getting awfully long… you don’t want to cut it?” 

Yuri face flared a bright red, and he wouldn’t meet Viktors’ eyes. Muttering to the floor, Viktor managed to catch - “.... ‘m growing it out.”

“Aaah! Yuri~!” Viktor squealed, picking Yuri up and spinning him around playfully, despite Yuri’s spluttering and angry clawing. “Ready to follow in my lead then?” He joked, plunking a disorientated Yuri back on the floor, an even brighter red than before.

“Like hell! I’m going to beat you Viktor! Just wait!” With that, Yuri stormed off in a plume of anger, and Viktor had never felt more proud of his protegee.

-

The phone buzzed suddenly, Yurios' eyes flying open but the phone had already crashed into his face. "God fucking damn it!" He yelled, more for the fact that he could than actual pain. Rubbing his cheek, he thought about those memories. An idea simmered under the surface. Slowly, he opened his messages, as if anything might break the bubble on concentration he had now.

-

 

-

Hands clenched into fists in his pocket, Yurio kicked open the door to the dining room where Yuuri and Viktor stop in the middle of their laughter to look at him. Yuuri even dropped his chopsticks.

“I … I need your help.” Yurio ground out, looking anywhere but them.

A moment of silence passed, but Yuuri was the first to respond. “Of course! Did you break something?” A look of horror passes over the mans already pale face. “Did you break the _law_!?”

Yurio scoffed and slumped down onto the floor near them. “No. It's a lot more terrifying than that. I can’t believe I’m asking this of you two …” Yurio sighed.

When he didn’t start again, Viktor tapped his shoulder hesitantly.

“I need your help re-choreograph my free skate.”

Both of them gasped in delight, and Yurio felt like he was going to be sick from the joy steaming off them.

“It’s not that big of deal!” He complained, “It’s just … in Viktor’s performance he had long hair and went for a mixture of genders and Yuuri, you’ve performed femininely before.”

“Oh! Did you decide on a theme to base it on then?” Viktor urged, hands clapping.

“Less of a theme but an idea. I want to _become_ the emotion. Like you don’t see me as a skater, but just the emotion in the music represented in a body.” He looked briefly up at Yuuri. "Like your _Yuuri on Ice_ routine." He rolled his eyes at the ridiculously touched look that came over Yuuris' face. _Oh my god, he even touched his heart .... what a loser._

"Yurio, making a new routine with parts of our routine in it." Viktors' lip looked particularly wobbly, and Yurio didn't have time to do anything but squeak when Viktor made a lunge for him. _I told you so Otabek! I'm never taking your advice again!_

"So will you help me or not!?" Yurio managed to splutter as Viktor continued to squeeze the life out of him.

 

Yuuri nodded, suspiciously swiping under his glasses. "I think I have a few ideas already."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a week before the competition yurio wants to re choreograph his routine (a bit like yuuri before the ice springs face off lol) he doesnt want to express gender in his skate, so he can just show the raw emotion in skating, and he's asked yuuri and viktor to help with that.  
> and who knows some other characters may turn up :^)
> 
> again, comments really help! if you enjoyed something please say/ your favorite part so far!  
> thank you for reading~


	4. Served

**@viktor-ous**

[image: a selfie of Viktor, with Yurio stretching in the background and Yuuri frowning at a CD]

Training begins! **@yuri-plisexy @katsudon-yuuri** (also yurio!! change ur name!! D: <)

 _10.4k_  

 **@fan1** lmaooo called out by victor

 **@angelsfan** um viktor buddy ... check ur own name first

 **@anyelling** ur bfs last name is literally rice bowl. Rice. Bowl.

 

**@katsudon-yuuri**

[image: Yurio in starting position, with Viktor recording from the side of the rink]

Really proud of Yurio for taking on this challenge with such time limit! Please come and watch his Free Skate! :) **@viktor-ous @yuri-plisexy** (you really should change your name!)

_11k_

**@yuri-plisexy** ur not my mum

 **@viktor-ous** don't talk to ur mother like that!!

 **@t-ota-tly-bekaful** told you so yuri

 **@yuri-plisexy** shut ur face beka!!

 **@katsudon-yuuri** breaks over!

-

Yurio sat impatiently in one of the hard plastic chairs in Minakos' ballet studio. At first, he had thought it was another storage room, not used to practicing ballet anywhere not large and marbled. Rocking back and forth on his chair, as Yuri and Viktor intensely watched the footage of him at the ice rink and occasionally murmured comments, he thought the room could do with some cheetah prints. Or cats in general. Maybe he'd tell Otabek about the room....

Abruptly, Yuuri jumped up and spun towards Yurio. "Starting position, now." Startled, Yurio didn't move for a moment until Viktor prompted him from behind Yuuris' back. He glided in his socks to the pieces starting position, head bowed and legs slightly crossed. 

"He needs to drop the shoulders." Yuuri commented.

"Really?" Viktor asked in surprise, taking another look at Yurio who felt more and more like he was an animal at a zoo. "I thought the rigid frame would work for the beginning piece. Start him off strong, no?" Yuuri was already shaking his head.

"Are you going to discuss _every_ movement I make!?" Yurio spat, arching his neck out. "Raising and dropping my shoulders so much made me look like a _bird_!"

Viktor and Yuuri shared a glance, and nodded in sync back at him.

Yurio let out a long groan of defeat.

_-_

They debate well into the evening and even over dinner - which totally confused the Katsuki family with all the skating terms- and finished drafting some notes.

  * balance out ballet sequences and aggressive sequences 
  * more jumps in second half
  * 2 or more toe loops



It went on for ages, but the one Yurio was stuck on was the jumps in the second half. He knew he had the same, if not more, stamina than Yuuri ... but the risk of missing a jump. Images swirled in his mind of losing the gold medal, of it swirling away into nothingness -

-

"Ok, time for bed now. Good work today Yurio!" Viktor cheered, slapping the younger skater on the back. When he didn't respond, Viktor leaned closer and smiled. 

"Is he alright?" Yuuri asked quietly, bringing cold water to cool them down after exercise and to fight the midnight heat creeping up on them. 

"Just exhausted." Viktor replied, feeling his heart warm at the soft snores he heard from Yurio. He moved and brushed some of the younger skaters hair out of his eyes. "I've only seen him this determined once, and that was to beat me to the podium." Yuuri let out a soft exclaim, and they both watched fondly at the exhausted teen. 

"I'm so tempted to draw a mustache on him and take a picture." Viktor whispered in the same soft voice.

"Viktor, no." Yuuri sighed. "He can't sleep here but ... I don't want to wake him."

"I can carry him don't worry-" Viktor assured, but Yuuri was already waving him off. Determined, Viktor leaned down and grabbed under Yurio's armpit and - _heaved. "_ The little piggys' put on weight!"

Before any injury could happen to the room or to Yurio, Yuuri made a grab for Yurios' legs. A lot of scrambled effort later, they heaved a still sleeping Yurio onto his bed before heading to their own room. They softly shut the door, the closing gap leaving a line of light on Yurio's sleeping face. It made a small click against the door frame.

 

Yurio grinned in the dark. _Serves them right for making me work all day!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahah cheeky yuri!  
> as always, leave a comment telling me your favourite part or who you want to appear next! :)  
> thanks for all the support on this story! I'm really glad that a lot of you seem happy to read it and leave lovely messages!


	5. cын

Yurio relaxes on the couch in the restaurant part of the Katsuki household. The TV was showing some irrelevant sport that wasn’t skating, muted low so as not to wake other residents. He flipped his phone over on his leg, thinking. He’d been doing so much lately he was starting to get a headache. When his phone buzzed, Yurio opened his messages and stared blankly.

Sighing, he covered his face with his hands. He just wanted a change, he didn’t want to get sappy about it … but he also didn’t want to embarrass himself. _Whatever, just ask._ Yurio stormed down the corridor and kicked on Yuuris’ locked door.

“Piggy? Are you in there?” He heard a squeak from inside, then Yuuris’ head poked out.

“Yurio?” He blinked blearily, putting on his glasses. He squinted at his phone. “It’s … late. Did you want more food?” Yuuri guessed, shrugging into an oversized jumper - it had small patterns of dogs on it, and Yurio honestly couldn’t tell if it was one of Viktors’ or not nowadays. Yurio tried to get a glimpse inside the room, and could see a lump under the blankets. Yuuri followed his look, “You want me to wake Viktor?”

“No!” Yurio rushed. That was absolutely the _last_ thing he wanted! If Viktor heard this then he’d never hear the end of it. “I … need to ask you a question.”

“Y-yeah ok. Follow me.” Yuuri replied in surprise, sliding the door to his room close quietly behind him.

-

Night had spread across the sky, and they sat outside near the baths. Yuuri had made them some tea, and even though Yurio had called him a pansy for doing it even he had to admit it tasted good. Ice bit at his nose, and he shifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench.

Yuuri had always seemed like a good person, awkward, but good. Unfortunately, Yurio wasn’t completely sure on all his thoughts. He cursed himself for not getting more information before jumping into this. Yurio side-glared at Yuuri who calmly sipped his tea, looking out over the baths.

 

“I want to change my middle name.” Yurio blurted out. Yuuri settled his cup down and turned to look at Yurio head on.

 

“Ok? Why is this a problem? I’m sure they’d allow you at the competitions if that’s what you’re worried about-”

 

“I want to change it to Viktorovich.” Yurio flushed at the heartfelt look Yuuri got, and snapped, “It’s not that big of a deal! I just want to know if he would get mad at me for using it! It’s not like he would ever find out.” _I just need to change it._

Yuuri scratched his head and gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. Yurio glared at him, was he laughing at him? “Don’t laugh at me!” Yuuris’ eyes widened in shock, and he shook his hands in front of his chest.

“Oh! No, I wasn’t laughing at you!” Yuuri smiled, “I just never thought I'd be talking to two Russians about changing names. First with Viktor about our last name, and now you..." Yuri chuckled. "To answer your question,” He turned more towards Yurio, and put a hand on his shoulder. Half of Yurio wanted to move out of his touch, but he stayed put. He hesitantly met Yuuris’ eyes, which had hardened and were determined. “I’m sure he’d be honoured. I don’t know what it means, but sometimes he talks about you in his sleep. It’s in Russian, but he keeps calling you … ‘cын’. So yeah, I would say he’d be more than fine with it.”

Yurio would completely deny in the future that he let out a small gasp. His heart thudded, his anxiety being replaced by a warmth he didn’t feel often, except with his Grandpa. 

He swiped at his eyes and pushed Yuuris’ hand off his shoulder.

“You’re changing your name as well right?”

“What?”

Yurio glared at him, already storming back to his room. “There’s still only one Yuri, _piggy_. Don’t forget it!”

-

**@katsudon-yuuri**

[image: two half empty tea cups on a wooden bench, showing some of the baths and the night sky in the background]

Lovely talk with **@yuri-plisexy** !

_5k_

**@yuri-plisexy** stop exposing me!!

 **@viktor-ous**  talking without me? :(

 **@katsudon-yuuri** you weren't up!

 **@viktor-ous**  makkhachin was sleeping on me!! it would be rude to wake her up!

 **@t-ota-tly-bekaful** what happened to the no pics in the baths rule

 **@katsudon-yuuri** ... no comment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit about names:  
> in russia the middle name is the name of the father + endings according to gender. Yurios birthname in this is Yuri Arturovna Plisetsky I imagine the feminine ending [-ovna] would make him uncomfortable. so yea this is kind of confirmation that although he denies it, yuri really does see viktor as a father figure (plus he gets the male endings -vich yay!)
> 
> as always tell me what parts you liked/what you'd like to see in the future! thanks for reading and leaving comments! :)
> 
> edit: there are plans for chapter 6 - 8!


	6. Returned

@ ** _yuri-plisexy_** ready to beat everyone on the ice next week

@ **_chris-pyswissroll_  **i believe in you darling! ❤❤ good luck!

[ _ **viktor-ous**_ retweeted] with me as your coach of course you will! ❤

[ _ **katsudon-yuuri**_ retweeted _**viktor-ous**_ ] … viktor meant: with your determination you will do great ❤

@ **_jj_the_king_ ** strong words! See you then.

 

@ **_viktor-ous_ ** Come and see Yuri Plisetskys’ new routine next week in Japan! Buy tickets here www.jpmensskate.jp…..

[ _ **katsudon-yuuri**_ retweeted _**viktor-ous**_ ] *Please, Viktor. You have to add ‘please’

@ **_viktor-ous_ ** @ _katsudon-yuuri_   ok. Please stop telling me off and come back to bed ;)

@ **_yuri-plisexy_ ** _@katsudon-yuuri @vikor-ous_ could u not flirt when asking people to come see me thanks

@ ** _t-ota-lly-bekaful_** @ _yuri-plisexy_ _@katsudon-yuuri @vikor-ous_ u really should get a family gc instead of using twitter

@ **_yuri-plisexy_ ** @ **_t_ ** _-ota-lly-bekaful_ i’ve tried. it cant be contained

-

Shoving his skates into his training bag, Yurio reached to change the music on his phone but it started buzzing with a stream of messages. Rolling his eyes when he saw the name, he pulled his zipper higher to fight off the chill. Being in a changing climate was reducing his Russian ability to resist cold. _Just another reason to leave soon_ , he huffed, opening the messages.

-

When Mila hadn't replied to his message for over a minute, Yurio stopped checking his phone.

 _What could she be up to?_   _She never leaves me hanging without a reason._

Mila _always_ had to have the last word. He had walked the entire way up to Hasetsu ice rink with not a single reply and just knew something was going down. He checked instagram and twitter a few times to see if she had left any hints, but except for a selfie of her flexing, there was nothing there. "Still only posting gym pics?" Yurio muttered, scrolling back up to refresh the page. He pushed open the door to Hasetsu rink, barely nodding towards the staff there, heading out towards the ice when he got another message.

Having had enough of the other Russian skaters, Yurio propped his phone up on the bench and chose his set playlist for his wireless headphones. The ice looked inviting, and skating out into the center felt like coming home. Dropping his shoulders, he began in his starting position and waited for his music to cue. It was too early in the morning to try and find that deep emotion he would need to make this skate come to life, so he'd just have to push himself on the day to find it. Instead, he let the arching strains of [So Close](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2cGxy-ZHIs) begin and span immediately into a spread eagle. A simple toe loop, then a double. His mind goes numb after a while, wishing he could just be back at home in bed.

That rolls over, images from his grandads' house in Russia mixing confusingly with the house he shared with Viktor and Yuuri. He tsked, shaking his head. He was just staying there for a while, he shouldn't get too - 

_HERES MY NUMBER, SO CALL ME MAYBE_

Terrified, Yurio screeched and flung his headphones half way across the rink. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard booming laughter to his left and spun to look. "Mila!?"

"Surprise!"

"Are you trying to sabotage me by giving me a heart attack?" Heaved Yurio, skating towards her with a dark cloud of embarrassment covering him. It was made worse when Mila immediately caught his shirt and dragged him in for a selfie.

"You don't even want to hear how I got here?" Mila complained with a fake pout, eyes already back on her screen. Yurio snorted.

"Easy - you flew. I'm care more about how the hell you hacked my headphones!" Yurio raged, standing bright red in front of Mila who laughed again. She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Hackers never tell their secrets Yurio!"

"... what about for a piroshki."

Mila blinked. "Ah, then it was a good side career while it lasted," She snorted and then launched into a full detailed list of improvements he could make to his free skate. Embarrassed, tired and pissed that no one told him she was coming, Yurio grumpily settled in to listen. _She really is like Viktor._

_-_

He got a minutes peace when Mila was distracted to furiously type out a text.

 

-

Yuuri and Viktor had been cruising the local market stalls for about an hour, deciding that Yurio should get some time with Mila by himself before they all met up. And honestly they had wanted some time to relax too, between Yurios' dramatic statements and early mornings, even Viktors' high energy levels seemed drained. The bustling market seemed so peaceful in comparison. Their joint hands swung low, squeezing occasionally when their eyes met. And sometimes, when Yuuri felt brave, when their lips did. 

"Yuuri, just look at this!" Viktor let out a gasp of excitement, darting to another stall, pulling Yuuri with him.

"Ah! Viktor we really shouldn't get anything else. It's only for a few days we're staying in the hotel-"

This continued for a while, until they got distracted by different stalls. Yuuri had been considering some cool laptop stickers, and had got his phone out to take a picture of them for Phichit. As always, he fell into the internet wormhole and grinned at the selfie Mila had taken with Yurio. _He looks like he's having fun,_ Yuuri grinned. He hovers over Yurios' annoyed face for a second. An idea flickers into his mind, but he brushes it off. It would be far too personal and intrusive to ask! But his gaze catches on Viktor laughing and talking in jolted Japanese with a stall owner in the market. . . he had looked so tired recently. Drained, but excited, about Yurio’s routine. Bracing himself, Yuuri opened up a contact and winced at seeing multiple missed messages. _It would make Viktor happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back on track for the competition that was mentioned in chapter 1 lmao  
> and mila!! ahh i love my gym babe and was wondering what would be a great way for her to surprise yurio. she and viktor def keep in contact.
> 
> as always, leave a comment with your favorite part or anything you'd like to see in the future! i live off your comments and they really make my day! <3


	7. Smoke break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * this is entirely a mila and mira conversation!!

Mila leans up against the wall outside Yu-topia, watching cars pass by the street as she takes occasional drags of her cigarette. The three of them - Viktor, Yuuri and Yurio - had all needed at least an hour to freak out about what to take, the idiots. She had called Viktor repeatedly the night before demanding he pack but did he listen? Of course not. Honestly she thought Yuuri would be more level headed about packing, but he kept insisting to take more good luck charms than could fit in the bag. The last she had heard of their bickering as she had headed outside, had been compromising on which ones to take.

 

Luckily, Yurio had been keeping her updated with a stream of pictures on instagram of them.

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: selfie of Yurio, rolling his eyes as Viktor and Yuuri scrabble at different good luck charms on the table]

when ur coaches dont pack the night before….

_12.3k_

**@t-ota-ly-bekaful** *dads

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[video: a slow zooming in of viktor and yuuri drawing out a table, and occasionally crossing off names of charms from a long list]

Im in  h e l l

_15.6k_

@ **anyelling** this is the sweetest thing ever??

@ **yuriangels** are those charms for u? You wont need them yuri!! we believe in you!! :D

@ **sk8trboi** davai for the competition yuri!

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: yuuri scratching his head, looking down at viktor and makkachin who were sitting on a stuffed suitcase trying to pull the zip across]

these idiots dont even know how to pack a bag. u just need essentials: vodka and skates

_14k_

@ **angelsfan** post more selfies yuri!! we miss ur face! :)

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: a picture of yurios legs stretched out on the couch where a single barely packed bag lay at his feet]

how its done by PROFESSIONALS **@katsudon-yuuri @viktor-ous**

_12k_

**@anyelling** tOLD

 

 

Mila was still laughing over the last picture, when foot prints caught her attention behind her. Smiling, she titled her phone so the newcomer could see. “Are they really still arguing over good luck charms?”

Yuuris’ sister shrugged, lighting her own cigarette and jumping up on the wall beside Mila. “Couldn’t hear a thing,” At Milas’ confused look, Mari mischievously pulled out a pair of headphones that had been tucked into her work clothes. “My bands’ new album came out today, so if anyones’ been yelling I wouldn’t have heard it.” Mila laughed, delighted by that stroke of genius.

“ _Your_ band, huh?” Mila teased, seeing Mari flush slightly.

“One day!” Mari had stars in her eyes, when she confessed “One day I’m going to be a band’s manager. It’s always been a dream of mine.” Seemingly embarrassed about her outburst, she took another drag of her cigarette. Mila considered this for a moment and nodded.

“It would be awesome if one of the skaters’ danced to music, that a band you managed produced.” Personally Mila couldn’t imagine a life outside of skating, but even she had to admit it would be cool to see that happen. “Who knows - get them to make me a piece in the future, yes?”

Mari grinned, “What an honour.” Mila gave her a playful glare.

“Was that sarcasm?”

Mari’s eyes widened comically. “Me!? _Never_ , Mila!” They laughed, flicking ash into the road.

“Here - let me listen to some of the music you like.” Mila requested, waving her hand at Mari’s headphones. She hesitated for a moment, but passed one over to Mila and it immediately began with an upbeat song with almost no breaks. One song flowed into the next and Mila let herself be swept along, peaceful, with the occasional spray of passing cars on the wet road.

-

The volume turned down slightly, after what must have been minutes of silence. Mila blinked up at Mari, who looked thoughtful. “I used to skate as well y’know.”

Now that was a surprise! “Really? Who taught you?”

“Oh, not professionally. I’d take Yuuri up to the rink sometimes.”

“Why’d you stop? Did you not like it?” Mari waved her hand unsurely.

“It wasn’t that …. Just, you start to lose confidence in yourself once your brother has won actual _medals_ in skating.” Mari tapped some more ash away. “I was half hoping I could take it up professionally, but,” She shrugged. “I guess destinies are written differently.” Mila frowned, looking a little closer at Mari.

“Did you take something stronger than a cigarette today or something?” She demanded, surprising Mari into laughter.

“No! No, sorry I’m just thinking. If I hadn’t quit because of my lack of confidence who knows, I could be spinning around on that ice instead of living and working with my parents.”

Mila turned her head to properly look at Mari. She moved from the punkish dyed hair to that half-hopeful gleam in her eyes, one that Mila saw on skaters so often. Skaters that went off to astound the world. Half a smirk formed, and she reached over to pull the headphones out of Maris’ ears. Mari lifted her head in confusion, and Mila could see she was about to apologise so she cut her off.

“Listen, before you give the music managing a go …. come and pair skate with me in Russia. At least once.” Mila cut off Maris’ confused questions with a simple firm pat to her shoulder. “No arguments! I’ll pay for everything and set the date,” Mari grinned widely. “All you have to do is show up!” Hope and anxiety shone in Maris’ eyes, and Mila smiled at the thought of the talent that she could bring to skating. 

"Mila ... I-" A sound of glass shattering caught both their attention.

"What was that?" Mila gasped, while Mari groaned covering her face with her hands.

"That-" she sighed, stubbing out the rest of her cigarette on the wall, "-is my job calling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more from milas' point of view this time, and i've never written maris character before but i get the idea that they would get along well!! :)
> 
> competition chapter is coming up next! we get to see yurios' short program and some Drama
> 
> as always let me know your favorite part/any characters you'd like to see/what you think might happen next! comments are adored, thank you for reading~


	8. Splintered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings!  
> \- panic attack  
> \- some transphobia

Their flight leaves from Kyushuu to Nishinomiya early in the morning and it is one of the most uncomfortable experiences in his entire life - that’s saying something, seeing as his entire career is based on wearing tight sequined outfits. First, there was the tearful goodbye from the Katsuki family that doesn’t make sense because they’ll be back in a week. Then there's the fact they were flying coach. Yuri Plisetsky, skating genius, in _coach_! They’re only flying coach because Yuuri demanded it and if Yuuri demands _anything_ , of course Viktor doesn’t raise a single argument. Despite Yurio arguing to be in first class, Mila smugly said that they didn’t have any and that he would have to adjust to living “normally” for 2 hours.

 

It had been 30 minutes and he already wanted to puke from how Yuuri and Viktor were acting with each other. Since he was in the middle seat, he had to sink down into the chair so he wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire of their lovey-dovey nonsense. And there wasn’t even signal so he could complain about it! After being nudged by Viktors’ enthusiastic flailing for the eighteenth time, Yurio snapped. “Move! I need to use the bathroom.” He almost ran from his seat, moving towards the end of the plane. _I can just text Otabek from in there_ \- he looked around him. Right. On a plane. No phones. Groaning loudly, he started to stomp back to his seat when his eyes caught on something. A plan sparked to life in his head.

 

There was a lady reading an ice-skating magazine. Smirking, he pulled down the top of the magazine and had the pleasure of watching her gasp. “Y-yuri Plisetsky!” Her hands covered her face, and Yuri nodded quickly - he only had a little bit of time before Yuuri got anxious about where he was or a flight attendant told him to move. “Yes, it’s me. Life and savior of ice skating. Listen, I’m going to offer you something and you have to say yes.” She turned from excited to nervous, and he quickly added. “I didn’t come on this flight alone. My coaches are sitting by my seat, that I’m offering you.”

“A-are you serious?” The lady exclaimed, already moving out of her seat and Yuri thanked everything that ice skating was a famous sport. 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. It's seat 34. Enjoy!” He grinned sarcastically, settling down in his seat to watch her run towards her end. To his surprise, Mila was in the seat beside him, glaring furiously.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Mila barely responded, folding her arms and shaking her head. “You mad I made her move?”

“Not that,” Mila huffed, push back in her seat until the guy behind her made an uncomfortable sound and kicked the back of her chair. Mila leant harder until the guy stopped. “She had no idea who I was! She thought I was a _fan_ when I asked her if she liked skating!”

“You just don’t have the right masculine appeal, sorry Mila.” He barely had time to move before a strong muscular leg stomped down on his foot.

“Hey! Watch it! I need those!”

-

-

“Do you think she was a bigger fan of me or Viktor?” Yurio murmured to Mila, who pushed his face away from her.

“Stop rubbing it in Yuri!” She knocked his hand away as he reached for her phone. “And obviously she was a JJ girl. She kept repeating facts to me about him.” Put off, Yurio snarled and sank into his chair. 

“Ugh, don’t even mention that guy. He has the nerve to call this a ‘competition’ like I’m not going to win.” There had always been something  in the way JJ spoke and acted that set Yurio on edge. Mila, seeing her opportunity, turned round with a huge grin.

“Did you know that he isn’t actually married and it’s all a huge conspiracy, that he’s not legally Canadi-”

“ _ Stop _ ” Yurio complained, jumping up from the airport seat, but Mila just grabbed his elbow and kept on talking.

“But wait I haven’t even told you the theory that his skates are made from gold from Ireland that been blessed-”

“Yurio!” Viktor called, approaching them with a warm smile. “Give me your phone for a second.”

Hesitantly, Yurio passed his phone to Viktor. “Don’t take selfies on it!” He warned, folding his arms and watching closely at what Viktor was doing. 

“Don’t be silly Yurio. You have an old phone, and Yuuris one works much better. Done!” Suspicious, Yurio made a grab for his phone but Viktor kept it just above arms reach. “Ah-ah. Not yet.” A dark expression fell on Viktors’ face. “You still need to learn a lesson from making that fan sit next to us, Yurio.” 

“W-what are you going to do with it?” Yurio asked, not liking that expression one bit. Images of it being thrown into passing traffic or into a lake swirled in his mind. But when Viktor cheerfully said “Mila, would you do the honours?” it was so much worse than any of that.

“Gladly,” Mila said smugly, taking the phone and Yurio watched as her fingers flew across the screen.  _ I don’t deserve this punishment! _

What was handed back to him was a mockery of a phone. There was the contacts icon enlarged on the home screen and that was it. Any apps he tapped on were locked and a notification saying “not until after the competition!” popped up with a sprite of Mila on there.

“It’s really scary you know how to do that Mila.” Yuuri commented, slightly shifting behind Viktors back. Viktor just nodded knowingly.

  


With barely time to breathe, they pile into a hired car and drive all the way to the hotel to unpack and get ready for the competition that evening. It feels twice as long, since he can’t even go on _twitter_ , of all things. (“How is tweeting going to affect me!?” He had demanded, but Yuuri put him in his place by saying “Even 140 characters can shake your confidence Yurio.”) His only entertainment is practising his short program over and over, annoying Viktor and Yuuri as he practices on their double bed and messes up the sheets. Then they stuff themselves _back_ into the tiny car and finally - _finally_ \- reach the arena.

 

**Hyogo Nishinomiya Ice Arena**

Yurio’s fighting off exhaustion and it’s just the warm up skate. He can’t shake the bad feeling and it only increases when he fails a jump, landing safely but ashamed. He sees Yuuri jump up out of the corner of his eye, but ignores him and the small crowd that gasp, determinedly digging his skates into the ice, making it part for him.  _ What’s wrong with me today? Seriously, this is why they should have put me in first class, _

So busy muttering in his head, he nearly skates into somebody as they clear off the ice. He’s about to apologise but catches his tongue when his brain registered who it was.

“JJ.”

“Aah, Yuri! Nice to see you back in competition!” A snake like smile curls up on JJ’s face. “Looking forward to getting silver again?” 

Yurio snorts. “I’m looking forward to you getting off _my_ ice.” He snarled, pointing to the rinks edge. JJ laughs, and gives a half bow to him.

“Oh no... ladies first.”

Yurio glares, not budging. JJ waves him off and jumps off the ice, surrounded by a group of Canadian friends who start laughing as he joins them. Yurio watches them, feeling Yuuri place the skate guards in his hand but not really registering them. 

“Yurio? Are you alright?” Yuuri asked, moving his face in front of Yurios. Blinking, he tried to center himself.

“Yeah … fine.”

-

He thinks it was a coincidence that JJ had said that ladies line, funny even. He had brushed it off as JJ talking smack and being a jerk and it meaning nothing. But it gets less funny the more time they are in the waiting area for the skaters to perform. He’d been texting Otabek and Mila on and off - Mila had de-hacked it after Yurio wouldn’t stop knocking on her hotel door to make her entertain him - and caught some of JJs’ conversation when he passed close enough to hear.

“Ha that new skater seemed so girly out there. What was with that last jump….” He hadn’t meant to, but Yurio had tensed up at hearing it.

_ He’s not directing them at you, stupid. He doesn’t even know. . . right?  _ Even in his head, it was weak convincing. JJ must have seen him tense or something, because for the next few skaters, he makes the same dumb comment but louder every time. He even caught Yurios' eye at one point, and called "don't you agree?" over to him. Yurio glared, wishing his stupid hair would set on fire. He'd dealt with this sort of attitude before, but never so passive aggressively.

It stops being passive aggressive when Yurio hears the attendant call his name to get ready to skate. He's walking over to the corridor that leads him to the rink, when he hears movement behind him. Suddenly JJ is right next to him, leaning heavily on his shoulder. "Sure you don't want a hairband for your ponytail, miss?" Shocked, Yurio pushes JJ back as hard as he could. He couldn't know. He couldn't . There's no way.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Yurio hissed, his heart beat beginning to amp up. He'd had a quite transition, never hiding his past but never speaking about it publicly, but apart from people who do research or had known him young - no one _knew_. JJ shark mouth opened again, but Yurio stumbled backwards. He had to go to the ice. Skating. He was going to be sick. He needed to call someone. Not taking his eyes off JJ, a predator now than a competitor, he reached into his jacket pocket for his phone.

His eyes caught for a moment on that dumb picture they'd taken back in Hasetsu ice rink, of being trapped under Viktors' arm, with Yuuri pulling a face and Otabek smiling. His heart clenched. _Where did they go?_ He fumbled for the contacts, calling Otabek already. _They told me but I wasn't listening ... fuck!_

"Sir, you really need to go to the ice now." The attendant urged, but it was like he was in a bubble. Words were shaky and distant.

"A s-second. I need." Otabeks' phone still wasn't connecting. He couldn't go out onto the ice like this, but he couldn't go back to facing JJ or anyone he might have told right now. He looked up and down the corridor, making a decision. He needed to keep going. _It's the one that would kill me less_. He approached the edge of the ice, when he felt a hand grab his wrist. He swung his head round, and almost broke at the sight of red hair and cautious blue eyes.

"M-mila. JJ knows somehow. I-"

"Don't focus on that now." Mila snapped, hands firm on his shoulders. "Do _not_ think about it now Yuri." She pushed his hair behind his ears, repeatedly squeezing his shoulders. It helped bring his brain back to his body, instead of falling into turmoil. It was what Mila said before he headed out onto the ice that made it real to him, that he had to beat JJ no matter what now.

_ "Don't think. Go out there and dethrone the king, Yuri." _

-

From the first beat of the music, Yuri knows he's lost. 

He's offbeat, a second too late from the starting position. _How does he know?_

The emotion doesn't match the dance. He's angry and confused where the skater is supposed to be calm and collected.

His movements are jagged, like he's fighting off his thoughts. _How would he know?_

He falls, the audience gasps.

He gets back up, turns the triple axel into a double salchow. _How?_

He stops in his position the same he was at the beginning - angry and confused.

JJ shark like smile is in all the judges faces. His tactic worked. The bastard.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any jj fans! hes just a douche for plot uwu
> 
> as always i adore reading your comments about your favorite part or what you think might happen next! and i think a lot of people have been waiting for the next chapter mwhaha ;) not sure when it will be up bcos im getting busier but i adore writing this and i hoped you enjoyed reading~


	9. Fast Car

Yurio flings the back door of the ice skating rink wide open, leaving it swinging as he storms towards where Mila had parked the car earlier. Both the competition and himself were done for the day.

“Yuri! Stop running away!” Viktor cried out behind him, chasing towards the car. Yurio clambered inside and slammed the car door shut, sinking into the back seat. He saw a flash of Mila red hair running beside Viktor and Yuuri slightly further back, probably choking on his own sweat.

He’d flopped the first skate, alright, he knew. He didn’t need Viktor's big nose to come nosing around _why_. He had time before he got chewed out by Viktor, so he flicked open twitter. A blessing and a curse, he thought, scrolling through concerned comments and ‘hilarious’ memes of him falling. One of the tweets had a picture of JJ and it was followed by a string of hearts.

 

Yurio felt sick.

 

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ fuck **@the_king_jj** for basically saying girls are shit at skating

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ Mila and Sara r 2 of the most dedicated people i know

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ literally go to milas insta account for two seconds and u can see that

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ she works harder than anyone i kno so fuck u

 _ **@l1teral**  _feminist yuri?? This is why hes the better yuri!!

 

 

Viktor flung the car door open. “Yuri! What in the name of everything was that?” Yurio sunk further into the car seat and startled when Viktor grabbed his arm. “This isn’t a time to be a sulky teen Yurio - what happened out there?” He couldn’t talk, frozen by the tight grip Viktor had on his arm. _If I don’t make eye contact he might leave_. It felt like a white fog was creeping into his vision.

“Yuri,” Mila gasped as she arrived. “I tried to tell him, but he wanted to hear it from you-” The white fog thickened. A distant sound of a pot smashing  when his mother threw it angrily during an argument ringing in his ears.

When Viktor shook his arm a little more, Yurio ripped his arm away and shoved backwards. It was getting hard to breathe. Losing the competition, Viktor yelling, Viktor grabbing his arm, Mila almost telling Viktor what happened -

“Can we go back to the hotel room. Please. Not here.” Both Mila and Viktor drew back at that. Maybe it was the dead voice he delivered it in. Maybe they knew they shouldn’t be yelling personal stuff in a car park where anyone could hear. Viktor looked like he was about to start again, but Yuuri patted his arm timidly. Viktor looked up and Yuuri was shaking his head softly, a concerned and sympathetic look on his face. _Oh god he thinks I’m having a panic attack like him. I’m not! Am I?_ He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket but knew that if he looked at it now Viktor might actually burst a vein.

Mila climbed into the drivers seat, and Yuuri hurriedly took the passenger seat next to her - no doubt to get away from the cloud of distress coming from Yurio - unfortunately that meant that Viktor was cramped into the back of the car with him. They drove in tense silence. The fog was fading quickly, and now Yurio was really aware of the tension. It was so thick he was choking on it.

“Alright. Let me hear it then.”

“What happened out there? You froze up and it looked really unnatural-”

“I tried telling you Viktor, before he went on the ice-” Mila started, but Yurio straightened up and spoke over her.

“Mila! Stop. He doesn’t need to know.”

“Know _what_?” Viktor sighed, throwing his hands in the air. “How am I supposed to be your coach if you don’t trust me?”

“It’s not trust - it’s just not your business.” Viktors eyebrows climbed at that.

“How can it possibly not be my business!? You looked like a deer on ice, like the american film Yuuri made me watch-”

“-Bambi-” Yuuri piped up from the front seat.

“Yes, like Bambi. You fell over yourself and changed step sequences, that makes it very much my business.”

It was on the tip of his tongue just to say everything, but he rather deal with Viktors’ anger than his pity. Or worse, whatever Viktors’ definition of ‘help’ might be. Clamping his jaw shut, Yurio turns towards the window and stares unseeingly at his phone. Viktor sighs deeply beside him, running a hand through his hair. “We are supposed to be in this together, Yurio.”

His heart squeezes painfully and he glares at nothing.

Viktor own phone starts buzzing with notifications and Yurio can feel the disapproval rolling off of him instantly.

“Yuri, you shouldn’t do that. Most of JJ fans support you as well, you shouldn’t try to shake that during a competition. You _know_ that.” Now Viktor looked _really_ concerned.

“Well I don’t _want_ their support if they have that low standards for themselves.” Yurio snapped.

“Yurio stop it, just tell Viktor if you won’t let me-” Mila tried again. His heart ached, but Yurio let the words fall from his mouth.

“I knew you were mean Mila but I didn’t know you were trying to make Viktors' bald patch grow faster than it is already.” In the car mirror, Yurio could see her lips scrunching up and the tapping on the steering wheel got faster. She only did that when she was pissed. _Good, now she’ll leave me alone._ He chanced a look at Viktor …. He looked hurt. Not annoyed, but actually hurt.

“Was that really a sore spot for you?” He asked in surprise, and Viktor looked more offended.

“Bad choice of words, Yurio.” Yuuri muttered from the front seat.

-

Hovering over the call button for Otabek’s skype, he knew it was dumb to feel so wound up. Like Beka was going to judge him. Annoyed with himself, he jabbed the call button and waited. It barely made one ring before Bekas concerned face filled the screen. Even just seeing him made him calmer, and Yurio relaxed into the pillows of the hotel bed.

“Talk to me.” Otabek stated calmly and Yurio did. From the moment JJ grabbed his arm to the spat with Viktor and Mila.

“Now neither of them will talk to me or buy me food which is worse because now Yuuris buying all the food and it’s all this junk crap.” At that, Otabek quickly puts down the bag of crisps he was angrily eating. Yurio smirked. “So, any advice on that?”

“Viktor is easy to win over, even I know that. You just have to do something sappy,” When Yurio’s face wound up, Otabek added, “or buy him a bag covered in poodles.”

“It could work... he has always been a sucker for that.” He looked to his laptop, already wondering if he could place a special order in a store for it. “Crap. All the special order places will be in Japanese.”

“Google translate exists, Yurio.”

“It’s a piece of garbage and it needs to burn. The next ‘fan’ that tries to write a cute nickname for me in butchered Russian will feel my wrath.”

“You’re going to subtweet them?”

“Exactly.”

“Predictable.”

“It works. Sappy it is then. What about Mila?”

“I don’t know that much about her. What does she like?”

“Look at her instagram page.” Yurio replied blandly and waits as Beka does just that.

“Wow …. Alright. Sports related then, um.” Yurio watched Beka frown at the screen and waits. His face looked really dynamic with the phone screen light and the dark room behind him.

“She already has all the weights before you ask.”

“Even-?”

“Yup.”

“Hmm …. Ask her to show you her workout.”

“Do you want me to die!?” Yurio spluttered, jolting upright, sending the covers of the bed flying. Bekas knowing look made him think. _Damn him, it would work._

“And as for JJ…” Yurio squints at the screen - the room Bekas’ in is quite dark- he hears a zipper and then a lot of fabric moving. Beka turns the torch on and Yurio bursts out laughing at the suitcase that’s been hastily packed with clothes literally thrown onto it.

“When did you do that?” Yurio asked, still breathless from laughing.

“As soon as I saw the tweets, really.” Beka replied vaguely and Yurio felt warmth spread to every limb and he couldn’t stop his smile. On screen, Beka looks at the time and his eyebrows raise and Yurio thinks he hears knocking on a door in the background, which is confusing because Beka should be in his apartment.

“Ah -” He covers the mic but Yurio can still see him mouth ‘ _just a minute!_ ’ He can’t help but feel a little disappointed they didn’t get longer to talk. “I’ve got to go it’s-”

“It’s fine, Beka. You have a life outside skating.” Yurio’s surprised at the high pitched anxious laugh Otabek answers that with.

“Good luck tomorrow Yurio, I’ll be th- I mean, I’ll make sure to watch!”

“Do you still have that banner that Yuuri made you to wave at the screen?”

“How else would you feel my support from on the ice?” Beka asks offended, already grinning and ending the call.

Yurio barely puts the phone down for a second before it’s filled with messages of good luck and …. Pictures?

Snorting, Yurio drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face. Things would work out in the morning. _And more importantly I'll kick JJ's ass._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all sunshine needs a lil angst lmao :)  
> thanks for waiting for this update! comments are really helpful cause they let me know what to/not to include for writing, so if you want to see a certain character/plot please let me know :)


	10. Back In Black

“Stop fiddling with it Yurio.” Mila scolded, slapping his hands away from the itchy collar that was like a vice around his neck. They were hanging around, waiting for his turn to skate, in uncomfortable chairs in a stupid costume. The collar had these stupid grey rocks on it (Viktor would say they were ‘crystals’ or something. They were grey rocks, end of.) that dug into his neck painfully.

“What’s it going to do? Rip?” Yurio snorted, starting to pluck at them again. JJ’s nasally laughs startled him, and he pointedly doesn’t turn around to look. _Who could love a shark face like that anyway._

“Ha! Even if it did rip, it’d definitely be an improvement from your performance yesterday.” The words felt like boulders on Yurio’s shoulders, but outwardly he tried to maintain his cool. Luckily, that's easy for Russians. He's learnt that ignoring JJ makes him leave faster. He glances at Mila, glad to see her sneering at JJ. Apparently though, the death glare wasn’t a clear enough message for JJ - he slid closer, hooking an arm around Mila.

“Aah, Mila. We meet again! Y'know, you look more beautiful every time I see you.” Milas’ sneer turns into a charming smile, and she laughs, tucking her red hair behind her ear. _Wait… is she going to flirt with him?_ Mila looked up at JJ through her lashes, and murmured in Russian, “ _If you touch me again, if you talk to me or Yurio again,  I will personally make sure this is your last competition_ .” She ended it sweetly by patting his hand before flinging it off her shoulder in distaste. Yurio had to cough hastily into his fist to cover up his laugh, watching JJ walk off frowning and confused. Mila’s mouth twitched a little bit in his direction, and Yurio remembered they still weren’t all ok. He rolled his eyes. _Why is everyone I know so dramatic!?_

“Mila about yesterday -” He was stopped by Mila slamming her hand over his mouth.

“We’re not getting into this now. You’re going to put on your headphones and think about your steps before you get onto the ice, alright?” She puts the headphones around Yurios’ neck and steps back, muttering down at her phone, “I really should be paid for all this free coaching.”

“Where are my _beloved_ coaches anyway?” Yurio drawled, and stopped tugging his collar when Mila pointedly looked at it.

“They went off to meet someone.”

“Now? Seriously?” Yurio asked incredulously. “Who’s that important that they might miss my performance to see them?” He frowned down at his skates, his hair falling into his face.

“Aww! The ice prince is sulking!” Mila teased, pinching his cheeks. Yurio pushed her hands away with a squawk. He wasn’t _sulking_ … he just really wanted them to see this skate.

Grumpily, he nodded as the attendant waved him towards the ice.

-

Deep breath.

 

Focus.

 

He could do this.

 

The ice splits apart beneath his skates and flicks up as he centers himself in front of the judges. _Don’t look at the judges, or the crowds. You won’t be getting gold today but as long as you focus and rank over JJ ,that’s all that matters._

 

The arching strains of the song begins, and he sweeps out into a spread eagle.

 

_Shake his confidence._

 

Still in the spread eagle, he reaches upwards and then pulls tight into a spin.

 

Through the blur of motion, he catches sight of Yuuri and Viktor at the side of the rink. _Are those homemade flags!?_ Keeping the blush from his cheeks, he takes another leap and glides back into a quadruple salchow. He can hear the crowds cheering, but it’s all pushed back and muted like he’s in a bubble where it’s just him and the sound of his skates on the ice.

 

He draws deep into his (limited) emotional resource for the step sequence. He wants the audience to feel with every glide of the music the pain it took for him to make it here. He wants their heart to leap with every jump.

 

_Dethrone the King._

 

He flows seamlessly like water into the jump sections. One after another, until he stretches himself to do a Bauer. He ends, pointing towards the judges with a small twinkle in his eye. The bubble that had muted everything pops and he’s flooded with the crashing sounds of the crowd. The judges are nodding between each other, and he covers his face in relief.

  
_Suck it JJ!_ He punches the air, to even more cheering.

-

“Wow! Wasn’t he great Viktor?” Yuuri cheered, his claps getting swallowed by the crowds stomping their feet and cheering for Yurio. The pride building up inside him was almost bursting. His eyes catch on a young boy watching Yurio finishing up his waves with wide eyes and smiles, _he’s already a great role model._

 

“Another fantastic performance by Yuri Viktorovich Plisetsky!”

 

Viktors gasp gets lost, drowning in the roar of the crowd- there were some gasps there as well. Yurio was still bowing on the ice, waving goodbye to his fans as he skated towards the rink exit. Gasping for air, the young skater clenched his side and Yuuri could only feel the younger skaters pain. Stitches after skating were so common but still uncomfortable. He was about to guide Viktor and Yurio towards the results, but stopped when he saw the emotion on their faces.

 

Viktor was … crying? With no warning, Viktor ran forwards and tightly held Yurio against him. Yuuri watched in awe, as Yurio timidly patted Viktor back. His eyes look surprisingly blurry as well. The crowd was too loud to hear their voices so Yuuri pushed past some attendants, muttering apologies to reach them.

“Yurio! Did you not tell Viktor?”

“I-” Yurio was flushed from exercise and emotion, “I didn’t think they’d announce it!” Viktors hands were still on his shoulders, eyes crinkling up in joy.

“Why did you choose Viktor though? I would have thought you would go with Nikolavich!”

“He asked me not to a-and-” Yurio swallowed slightly. “It was either your name or using piggys name. Could you imagine?” He laughed, moving towards the results area. “Yuri Katsudonovich Plisetsky - pah!”

Yuuri hid a smile behind his hand and followed.

-

It's not his best moment, but he feels spiteful pride. The silver medal gets hung around his neck and he waves out towards the crowd. He side eyes the winner of the gold metal, it looks like it's teasing him being around someone elses' neck. His eyes drift down and he grins sharply down at the bronze medal winner. He wasn't proud of his first performance but damn right he was proud right now. Just to be a dick, he holds the silver medal higher so it catches more of the light.

"Please, a final cheer for tonights' podium winners!" The announcer calls out. "Congratulations to our main winner tonight-" he barely managed to get the first letter out before it's drowned by the crowd. Yurio rolls his eyes. _He wasn't even that good guys, please. Have some standards._

"In second place, Yuri Plisetsky!" He smiled out, knowing he will relish the next moment forever.

"In third place, 'King' JJ!" The slightly sarcastic way he says it, means Yurio can't help but looking at the pissed off Canadian skater one last time. JJ glances his way and he teasingly waves the medal in front of his eyes.

-

Exhausted, Yurio rolls his shoulder and climbs off the ice, stepping to the side to watch JJ pass after him.

“No need to look so smug about it.” A voice murmured behind him.

Yurio gasped, _there’s no way_ -

“O-otabek? What the hell? You were in Kazakhstan yesterday on skype!” He’s trying to do the calculations in his head, but his eyes keep focusing on Otabeks' face. Here. In Japan of all places.

“You seriously didn't see it?” Otabek laughed, slinging an arm round Yurios’ shoulders. “I was packing a _suitcase_ . A suitcase that was in my hotel room. The hotel _you_ are staying at.” Yurio closes his eyes, feeling suddenly very dumb.

“I would have seen you!” Yurio defends himself, glaring up at Beka who snorts and brings out a pair of sunglasses tucked into his shirt.

“I literally wore these and you had no idea who I was. It was great.”

“You’re an asshole.” Yurio said softly, feeling a little overwhelmed. Otabek laughed, tugging him closer under his arm. He was a little closer than before, and murmured lowly.

“Congrats on teaching that bastard by the way.” And Yurio felt like he’d won all over again.

“Still can’t believe I pulled that off honestly.” He let out a long sigh, leaning back into Otabek. He was _here_.

“Otabek! You made it!” Viktor cried happily, leaping over. _Well that confirms I’m not hallucinating him._

“Wait - did you know about this!?” Yurio gestured angrily at Otabek. “First Mila now Beka-”

“They’re called surprises, Yurio.” Mila said drily, looping arms with him. “That’s what they are supposed to be - _surprising_.”

“Never again. Please.” He shuddered at the thought of how many dumb emotions he’s had to feel over these past two days. Probably more than over his entire 17 years of life put together. His eyes catch on Yuuri and a thought circles his mind, and he squints carefully at his second coach.

  
About to call Yuuri to the side and talk to him, a reporter jumps in front of him before he can. “Smile everyone!” And suddenly he was pressed from all sides with his …. family. Holding the silver medal up for the camera to see, Yurio kicked himself for getting so soft.

-

**@yuriangels34**

[image: from the stands, a zoomed in picture of Viktor hugging Yuri who has a surprised expression]

bad lighting but omg!! This happened!! >owo<

 

 **@** _**JPNskatingnews** _

[picture] emotional night at the competition last night! After a stunning performance by Yuri Plisetsky …. (read more)

 

 **@ _yuriangels_ @ _JPNskatingnews_** did anyone catch what the announcer said? Wtvr he said made viktors face look like this- [picture attached]

 

 _**@JPNskatingnews @** **yuriangels** _ “Another fantastic performance by Yuri Viktorovich Plisetsky”

 

[image: flushed but happy Yurio surrounded by his skating family. Mila linked her arm and is fist pumping, Viktor is happy crying with his arm clinging to Yurio. Otabek has an arm flung around him, and in the moment Yurio has grabbed him hand. Yuuri is slightly behind them smiling warmly.]

 **@yuri-plisexy** thanks to everyone who came out to support me! I think thats enough surprises for a long time tho lol

 

 **@anyelling** omg is that otabek behind yurio??

 **@yurioangel** i thought he was in kazahkstan o_0

 **@dkd** he flew all the way to japan for yurios competition!!!

 **@anyelling** did he even talk to any of the other skaters there??

 **@yurioangel** he literally came for yurio ,,,, my heart guys it cant handle much more

 **@dkd** YO THEYRE HOLDING HANDS OMG

-

“Shh! Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.” Yuuri scolded his growling stomach with a frown from where he lay back on the hotel bed. In reply it gave a sad rumble and Yuuri sighed. “Yea, I want to know when Viktor will be back with food too.” He pats his stomach and rolls to his front. Suddenly the walls of the hotel start shaking and Yuuri jumps up, pulling the duvets around himself. “W-who’s there?” He asks the spirit in the room timidly.

“It’s the great ghost of ice skating past.” Comes Yurios’ dry reply from behind the door. Sighing in relief, Yuuri slides open the lock.

“Yurio, what do you want? Viktors’ just gone out to get food.”

“Is he still …?”

“Crying over earlier? Yes, yes he is.”

“How disgustingly sappy of him.” Yurio tuts, pushing into the hotel room.

“Um,” Yuuri starts, looking back and forth between him and the open door. He quickly shuts it. “Did you need something or-?”

“Oh no, no.” Yurio brushes off, looking around the hotel room, picking stuff up. Not sure what to do, Yuuri taps his hands on his thighs and moves towards the sofa. Slyly, he picks up his phone and starts texting.

“See the thing is, Yuuri,” Yurio starts and Yuuri jumps, flinging his phone onto the sofa beside him. Yurio starts pacing in front of him, flicking a small decorative pot back and forth in his hands. “I only told two people about my middle name. Otabek,” He turns round and points the floral patterned pot at him with a glare. Yuuri gulped. “And you. So it seems very suspicious that a news reporter would know it. Unless of course someone told him.”

A sense of dread settled heavily on Yuuris’ shoulder. He should have thought more about his actions, Yurio didn’t want his middle name to be read out-

“Stop thinking!  Jeez you make me mad sometimes.” Yurio huffed, putting his hands on his hips. Yuuri watches as he sighs and puts the pot on the table.

“I don’t know why you did it …. but thank you.” _Well that’s not what I was expecting._ He almost doesn’t want to move in case this all turns out to be a dream and he wakes up.

“T-thank you?” Yuuri repeated, utterly shocked.

“Don’t expect me to say it again. You just saved me a lot of grovelling to Viktor, that’s all. And stopped me from having to buy something else with that gross dog print.” Yurio storms out, leaving a shaken Yuuri in his place. The door slams shut and Yuuri lets out a high pitched squealing noise.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! viktor knows now whoop!! :) this one was a monster to writet and hopefully everyone stayed kind of in character for this fic lol
> 
> thanks for sticking with this story! as always please leave a comment even if its just random keyboard smashing it really lets me know how everyones feeling about our fav characters! :)
> 
> (chapter 11 is planned >D)


	11. Fire And Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o so u thought the angst was done huh punk? >:)

Three weeks had passed from the competitions - but the stifling atmosphere in Hasetsu has made it feel like years. 

Whenever someone dares to poke their head out of a door in the springs, they caught the chilling draft from the arctic cold-shoulder rift that just kept digging itself deeper between Yurio and Viktor. It flared up daily, like a fiery volcano. What was confusing to everyone involved, was the constant support that Yurio and Viktor still provided each other despite this gaping rift between them. Everyone held their breath whenever they spoke - watching as they both tried to shake hands over this mountainous breach separating them.

 

Every sentence had a current of tension beneath it, as if any minute they would let go of their fragile hand shake and fall into the abyss below. So much unspoken and unsaid.

 

Viktors' pride one minute - a Bauer done beautifully -  would fizzle like steam the next, because Yurio would fly off the handle and both Viktor and Yuuri would try to convince him to talk to them with ranging results. Sometimes, after storming off into Japanese cities far and wide for hours, Yurio would hesitate by the door to the dining room where Yuuri would be eating with Viktor calmly talking. He would scuff his feet and scuttle away, not leaving his room for hours.

Viktor was _desperate_ to use any means to get Yurio to talk about the competition, Yuuri was _desperate_ to make Viktor see that Yurio was uncomfortable and Yurio was _desperately_ trying not get involved with any of it.

  
Mari and Mila - and most of Hasetsu - were just desperate for it to be over.

-

 

 

 

> **BREAKING NEWS: PLISETSKY A MULAN STUNT?**

 

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ mulan is the best disney princess and being a warrior like her would be cool

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ but 1) im russian 2)if u ever say that im anything but a man again i will triple axel into ur face

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ who linked me to the UN FACT CHECKED article?? 

 _ **@chris-pyswissroll**_ A little confused darling. Whats wrong?x

 _ **@yuri-plisexy @chris-pyswissroll**_ sorry. thoughts everywhere rn. its clearer on my insta

 _ **@yuri-plisexy**_ #StopFakeNews #BullshitClickBait

 

[image: blurry almost angry looking picture of a pair of tiger shoes storming down a street]

**@yuri-plisexy**

an article claims that i am "pulling a mulan in order to be more famous in mens skating than womens skating". even tho mulan is an awesome warrior and id usually be hyped to be named next to her  - she doesnt represent ME. 1) im russian 2) im a 3d real life not photo altered not scripted HUMAN.  emphasis on man. 1/2

_79k_

[image:the same image but showing a middle finger]

**@yuri-plisexy**

no one even bothered to fact check the article either. wtf guys? news sources r running wild with this and no one bothered to check it. u kno who wouldnt mind checking it? ME. the damn SOURCE. 2/2

_80.0k_

 

-

Viktor was lying vacant in his room, his hand occasionally patting Machachin. He felt drained more than usual ... he didn't even get the comfort of sleeping next to Yuuri anymore since his boyfriend couldn't deal with the long tense silences and politely asked him to take the guest room again. Just for a little bit. Sighing, he rolled away which made Machachin whine. Even a little bit felt like ages. This last month alone made him feel like he'd actually get a real grey hair.

He's working the kink out of his shoulder, when his phone lights up with notifications. 

**BREAKING NEWS: PLISETSKY A MULAN STUNT?**

Confused by the title, he tries to remember where he'd seen the name before .... and it hits him with such clarity he can't help but say "Oh." aloud. The film ... a woman had disguised herself as a man ... and for people to think of his dear Yurio like that-

He taps frantically for the text icon, sweeping to his feet and pacing, trying to remember where everyone was.

Right - Yuuri was out visiting some old friends and Yurio was going "into town" again. Neither of them home.

Texts load in the hundreds from Yuuri, who was apparently way more awake than Viktor at this time. It was a whole bunch of links directing to instagram and twitter pages. He scrolls all the way back up to the _Good morning x_ text and then the one directly below reads the same devastating title.

 

**PLISETSKY A MULAN STUNT?**

_Could it be that our daring and brave young skater could in fact be using "his" ways to get a higher paying performance fee? We had some ice skating history buffs look into Plisetsky past and tell us the real truth behind this skater .... (read more)_

He skimmed the article and it was laughable at best. The facts were so far off correct that it didn't worry Viktor - but people seemed to be believing in it, and _that_ was terrifying. 

Every feed was a mess from that point.

 _ **@l1teralb**_ can't believe this would happen! :(((

 _ **@prolbean**_ wait what?? i thought the dude was a dude from the beginning! :o

Some were so disgusting that Viktor had to bite his lip, it was horrendous knowing Yurio would see this. Something had affected him badly before his last competition that seemed to shake him, and with this as well .... he huffs in frustration. All the pieces were there but none of them lining up! Pulling on a jumper, he skims the last of the few tweets Yuuri had sent him.

 

His eyes caught on some familiar names and he couldn't help smiling at them.

 

 _ **@JPNSkating**_ as a supporter of fellow skaters, we discredit this report entirely. #StopFakeNews

 _ **@Therealmila**_  believe me money isnt an issue for this boy lol #StopFakeNews

 _ **@totally-bekaful**_ yea if yurio had all this extra money he would pay for our meals when we go out #StopFakeNews

 _ **@phichit-c**_ lmaoo this report played itself by telling us the real dif in wages 4 performing skaters bcos of gender #StopFakeNews

 

He lingered on the last name. It was clear he needed to talk to Yurio, but ... how? 

His mind was drawing blank.

He turned to someone he thought could help.

-

-

On the other side of town, Yuuris' phone buzzes. 

-

-

 _Alright, he's on his way._ Viktor repeated in his mind.

He'd sent the text to Yurio an hour ago asking if he was nearby and that he needed to tell him something urgently over lunch. He thought it would take a whole lot of pleading - and even some bribery - but Yurio had simply replied "Fine." Did that mean he was on his way? Viktor breathed out heavily, and leant down to pet Machachin where she was bumping up against his leg. "I just have no idea."

Just then, there was a burst of rapping on the door. Viktor leapt up and pushed it aside.

"Hello, Yurio." Viktor tried tentatively. 

"Hey." Yurio scuffed his shoes, his hood pulled up over his head. In the low light, Viktor thought he saw Yurios' eyes rimmed red and it made the situation clearer for him.

_Tell him you care and are there for him. Be gentle._

"I, um, lost my keys." Viktor tried to hide his wince. Yuuri wouldn't be happy about that.

"And how did you manage that?"

"Threw them in the ocean." Yurio glanced up at him, crossed his arms and hunched into himself. He looked so tense and Viktor could feel his eyebrow twitching. "What? I was angry!" 

"As you have a right to be." Viktor agreed.

"That's why you called me here, isn't it." Yurio moaned, looking like he was already about to turn away.

"Yurio, please!" Viktor tried with a hint of desperation in his voice like he'd tried so many times before. "We have a lot to talk about. Come inside? I'm worried about you."

Yurios back was still turned.

Viktor felt his pulse beat slowing down, resigned to the fact that Yurio didn't trust him now or -

A harsh shove to his shoulder caught him by surprised as Yurio pushed by him into the house.

"Jeez, you and that Katsudon think _way_ too much about this stuff."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a hot minute but i had a brain spark tonight and just really wanted to get this running again!! I have time this week (i think) to get some more chapters out there, so hopefully you enjoy! comments really help know how everyone feels about this and are amazingly loved! :)
> 
> so these next few chapters will probably work on that unfinished unspoken convo that yurio stopped mila from telling viktor in the car .... amung other things ;)
> 
> also spare a moment for yuuri in your thoughts today lmao <3


	12. Man to man

Mari wiped the sweat from her forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. _Finally done with outside_ , she rolled her neck and rubbed a particularly sore patch, and her eyes rested on the extra pair of shoes in the hallway. _Yuuri's home already? Good_ , she yawned, _he can pick up my shift._

She started towards Yuuris’ room, planning to pawn off her chores onto her brother, and had just turned into his corridor when she stopped in confusion. Yuuri was there - but he was standing outside Viktors' room, ear pressed to the door with his back towards her. Seeing a perfect opportunity to ambush him, Mari crept up behind him -  wincing, she heard the floorboard beneath her creak. Yuuri spun round, and put a hand over his mouth to cover what looked like a gasp of shock.

 

 _Ha! Serves him right for all the times I’ve had to do his chores around here_ \- Mari was about to ask him what he was doing creeping around Viktors’ room, when Yuuri started waving frantically, and pushing her back down the hallway. He even went so far as to muffle her mouth.

 

“Hey! What the hell Yuuri? Why are you acting so dodgy?” She demanded, the moment Yuuri took his hand off her face.

“Sorry Mari it’s just …. It’s Viktor and Yurio.” Mira rolled her eyes, annoyed that Yuuri would think that was a good excuse for pushing her around.

“Yea? So what, another fight? Doesn’t mean you can-” But Yuuri started shaking his head again, a look of wonder in his eyes.

“No! No, they’re … talking.”

 

-

 

The Katsuki family cuckoo clock was ticking.

 

Viktor glared at it. _If I could redecorate this place, that would be the first thing to go_. He’d actually made a whole list of the things that he’d really like to change about his room here - but that clock was the thing at the top on his list. Yuuri had always had a vague attachment to it, but when he asked why, had just answered “the ticking is calming”.

 

At this exact moment, with the only sound between Yurio and him being the constant ticking, it was anything _but_ calming. He drummed his fingers on the small table between them, then moved to take a sip of the tea he’d made them.

 

Yurio hadn’t touched his yet.

 

“So… Yurio.”

 

“That's my name, yes.” Viktor had to hold back on rolling his eyes.

 

He sighed, placing the cup back onto the table, looking across at Yurio who had his arms tightly folded to his chest. “Yurio, I don’t know what you think of me - but the more you push me away, the more I get worried. I’m not going to give up on you… and,” He pushed some hair back from his face to steady himself, “And if you feel you can’t come to me with your problems, I’d have no problem helping to find someone who you _would_ want to see.” It didn’t seem as Yurio was listening, but Viktor forged on.

 

“As a coach, would I be offended if you went to another coach?” He wavered his hand in the air, “Most likely. But, if it was a personal matter. A matter you would want to tell your friend or your _family,_ ” Yurio caught his eyes at that part, sharp and wary. “And felt you couldn’t come to me with, then I would understand.” He shrugged, acting as if just saying that didn’t affect him. “I-I might be confused, but I’d still want to help-”

 

“Viktor. Stop it.” Yurio said in a voice so low, Viktor almost didn’t catch it. “It’s weird to watch you like this.”

 

Viktor stayed still, watching Yurio relax back into his chair and reach out to take a sip of the cooling tea. “So…” He whispered into the lip of the cup, “What do you want to know?”

 

Immediately, several things bubbled to the top of Viktor's’ mind and nearly came flooding out like a cascade - but Phichit was a constant voice in his head yelling to be “gentle”. Viktor didn’t know how to navigate this, at all, and not knowing where those mines were was worse than knowing there was a mine field at all.

 

 _Start easy_.

 

“The competition, what happened back there? Mila wanted to tell me, but I want to hear what happened from you.”

Silence.

A clattering of a cup, then Yurio was stumbling over his words to explain what had happened. To explain everything.

  
_Maybe it wasn't the easiest question then._

-

Once the words started coming, they just didn’t stop. It was infuriating. He felt tears bite at the back of his eyes, but he forced them back - he owed Viktor this.

 

“... and JJ, he’s such a brat, he - uhm. H-he.” Out of everything, this was the hardest thing to force past. “I-I think he knows about me.” He chanced a look up at Viktor, who had the same steady look in his eyes. “My, uh transition.” He scanned Viktor's face, looking for any signs of disapproval or rejection. Viktor just blinked back at him. “You… knew?”

 

A small smirk started on Viktors’ face. “Why do you think I was offering my flat so much? I knew what it was like to be in that situation, well, not exactly but close. Someone not agreeing with a part of your identity and not having a place to explore it … it’s difficult.” Piece by piece, the massive mountain of expectation and fear that had been building on Yurios’ back, fell away.

 

“You had the same problem then? Your parents didn’t agree with-?” But Viktor already was shaking his head.

 

“No, my parents didn’t agree with me and skating. It was when I was on the skating circuit with Chris- not the most accepting place for queer men.”

 

“Seriously?” Yurio asked in surprise, remembering the grace and power Viktor had on the ice even back then. “You didn’t look like you cared at all.”

 

“Exactly.” Viktor shrugged. “I thought if I looked unaffected, I’d feel unaffected as well. It worked for a while, they still made comments but I ended up not caring, I was there to skate, not to be judged.”

 

Yurio wanted to turn away, thinking back to his own reaction. He’d never be able to surpass Viktor fully if he kept being affected by comments like that -

 

“You should remember though Yurio,” Viktor interrupted his thoughts. “I’ve had years to build resistance to that sort of attitude. Skating is more intolerant of hate now but some, like JJ, managed to scrape by from time to time.”

 

“What a dick.” Yurio huffed.

 

“Couldn’t agree more.” Viktor hummed, downing the last of his tea.

-

They drifted around more deep topics - Yurio's family, briefly, about what they missed about Russia and Viktor could see that the emotional journey had taken a toll on Yurio. He looked annoyed to be there, but that was Yurios resting face, and yet .... lighter. Viktor felt that heaviness that had been draining him start to lift as well. He was about to suggest they get some rest, when he saw Yurio twitching slightly.

"Was there something else?"

“You … You don’t want to ask why I changed my name?” Yurio asked quietly, staring out towards the wall.

“I didn’t forget, if that's what you're worried about. I just,” Viktor cleared his throat slightly. “I’d… always thought of you as my son, that’s all.” His eyes blurred for a moment, and he quickly got to his feet. “Anyway, I think that’s quite enough emotion for one day, don’t you? Let’s go- _oof_!” He rocked in place, when Yurio wrapped his arms tight around him in an almost painful hug.

Viktor did let a tear fall when he realised Yurio was shaking. 

He slowly patted Yurios' back. "I'm honoured that you chose my name Yurio. It means a lot." _So much I wouldn't even know how to tell you._

"I-I know we joke about it a lot - but I think you'd be a really good dad." Viktor felt his heart skip in pride, when Yurios next words were - "Because you've been a great one to me."

 

-

Viktor pulled out his phone later in the evening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> communication!! things happening!! :)  
> idk how many of you were actively waiting for this chapter buut life happened - there are more chapters planned and hopefully posted soon(ish) 
> 
> as always, comments are adored and any criticism is valued!! hope you're having a good time reading this as i do writing it! <3


	13. Locked Out Of Heaven (part 1)

Dawn filtered into their shared room, and Viktors hand trailed on Yuuris shoulder as it cast light on their bed. He smiled softly as Yuuri turned into his touch, and squinted blindly back up at him. “Good morning, beauty.” Viktor chuckled, moving Yuuri’s glasses from the bedside table to the rumpled man against his side.

“Speak for yourself.” Yuuri smiled, leaning his head on Viktors’ shoulder, his hair a mess. Viktor reached out to flatten a wild dark curl of it and was amused to see it spring back up instantly. He did it a few more times, before Yuuri swatted his hand away.

“I’m glad you and Yurio sorted it out.” Yuuri started in a hesitant tone that caught Viktors’ attention. He wasn’t even looking at Viktor anymore, but instead at his own hand that was fidgeting on the sheets in the small space between them.

“What are you thinking about?” Viktor murmured, catching Yuuris’ moving hand in his own and pressing his lips to it. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t surprised to find Yuuri staring determinedly back at him.

“I want Yurio to move in.”

 

A moment passes. Viktor squeezes Yuuris wrist gently.

 

“I want that too. But it’s a big decision-”

 

“Well-” Yuuri sat up and started to gesture animatedly. Viktor lounged back and listened, amused and excited to see his boyfriend so alert this early. That always happened when he was passionate about something. And for him to be passionate about Yurio moving in? Yea, it was sending his heartbeat racing in happiness. “Well, even if he doesn’t move in. A place to stay, at least?”

 

“He has a place though.” Viktor responded in confusion, and raised his eyebrows when Yuuri gave him a meaningful look.

 

“That storage room is not a room. Not really. It’s been nice that he’s been putting up with it as long as he has, honestly.” Yuuri rubbed his bottom lip, sitting in his ‘thinking position’.

 

“So, you want to …. Redecorate it or something?” Viktor stayed as still as possible, trying not to vibrate too fast in excitement. He’d literally been dreaming about that last night. Admittedly, it had been based around getting rid of that annoying clock in the guest room that joined onto Yurios room, but close enough. He wasn’t going to let his chance slip away. Sitting up, he curled an arm around Yuuri and pulled his best puppy-dog look. “Pleeaase?”

 

Yuuri patted his hand, and nodded. “ Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

 

Whooping, Viktor fell back against the pillows. A plan was already forming in his mind about how to get rid of that clock once and for all! Oh, and help Yurio feel more at home. Obviously.

 

“You’ll need money for that though.” He thought out loud. The Katsuki spa did far better now it had so much attention, but it probably didn’t have enough put aside especially for surprise redecorating. When Yuuri didn’t reply, Viktor looked up and saw Yuuri glaring evenly at him.

 

“Oh, don’t worry. I think I know a guy.” Yuuri snorted, and Viktor watched as he clambered out of the bed and snatched up Viktors wallet from the desk. Viktor gasped and nearly fell out of the bed trying to grab it back.

 

“Wooah! Do you even know what Yurio wants his room to look like?” He asked, his hands grasping pointlessly. The question made Yuuri pause and hold the wallet limply in one hand.

 

“Uuh. No, actually. Do you?” Viktor stopped trying to get the wallet as well and stared in confusion at Yuuri.

 

“Of course! He likes … um ….” His mind pulled a complete blank. “.... uh, ice skates?”

 

Yuuri facepalmed and sighed.

 

“Looks like we need a professional for this.” They thought about it for a moment, and seemed to reach the same conclusion at once.

 

“Otabek!”

\--

 

_Something was going on._

 

See, he was a generally suspicious person but usually disproved his own thoughts after a while. But not today, not with Viktor and Yuuri.

 

He’d returned from his morning run, only to open the door to find Viktor blocking the entrance with his entire body. Yurio popped his earphones out and had entered a mini-staring contest with Viktor.

 

“.... hi?” He’d said, trying to slide past Viktor. _Does he do door-yoga now?_ He got annoyed when Viktor made protesting sounds, and bodily pushed him back from the hallway. “What the hell Viktor, let me through!” Viktor had shook his head, surprisingly mute. A figure behind Viktor caught Yurio’s attention, and he yelled towards them.

 

“Hey! Help me out here! There's a crazy person blocking the door!” His face had lit up in relief when he saw Yuuri jog towards them, covering the speaker part of the phone he had been holding. “Please get your man under control.”

 

“Aaah, Yurio.” Yuuri exchanged a worried glance with Viktor, who just shrugged and tried to fit into a new position as Yurio tried to squeeze past again. It had been like fighting with a bouncer. “We… actually have some stuff that needs to be done with the spa today so, uh, we can’t really let you hang out here.” Yurio had frowned deeply at that.

 

“Yeah right. Let me in.” He’d managed to get an arm past Viktor, and was alarmed when Yuuri himself pushed his arm back from the hallway. “Traitor.” He hissed, but gave up on the door.

 

Yuuri looked like he was trying not to smile, which made Yurio hate him more in the moment. “We have a job for you though, if you want to help out.”

 

Yurio had perked up at that. “Oh yeah? What?” Yuuri snaked his arm out and handed Yurio a piece of paper with …. Flight information on it? “What is this?”

 

“Phichit’s flight! He’s coming to visit. It’d be a really big help to us, if you could go to collect him from the airport.” Yurio looked in confusion between the two of them.

 

“But … hasn’t he been here before? Like, a lot? Why does he need me?” Why are they sending me to an airport? A part of him wondered if it was going to be like the skating competition and that Otabek might be there. But his coaches suspicious faces were making him question life right now.

 

“He’s…” Yuuri glanced at Viktor who nodded back, almost sadly. “We didn’t know when to tell you, but he had a bad flight and hit his head on one of the overhead carriages. He probably would find it hard to get here again.”

 

“... Google maps exists?” Yurio explained in exasperation. He was met with a withering look from Yuuri.

 

“You’re going to leave a good family friend to perish in a cold foreign airport with a bruised head-”

 

“Fine, I’ll go get the invalid. Jeez, you guys are acting weird today.” He scanned the flight details, and headed back towards the bus stop.

 

He’d been mulling over their actions ever since and got more suspicious every station closer to the airport.

 

_Yeah, something's definitely going on._

 

\---

 

Viktor collapsed against the door as it closes with a slam, not being held open with his weight anymore. He lets a long breath. “Keeping secrets from him is really hard…”

 

“You’re telling me.” Yuuri snorted, peering out of the keyhole to watch Yurio storm away. He turns from the door and pats Viktor shoulder in comfort. “It’ll be worth it.” And there’s something in Yuuri’s smile that tells Viktor that, yeah, it _will_ be worth it.

 

\---

 

He doesn’t have to wait long for Phichit to show up - he’s kind of unmissable, looking in wonder around the Japan airport and already taking pictures with fans. That was one flaw of his, constantly updating his location meant that people would always find him. He didn’t seem to mind though. He didn’t look too confused and lost, how Yuuri had explained he would be, either.

 

Frowning, Yurio waved his custom made sign towards Phichit that read ‘HAMSTER FREAK OVER HERE’. Phichit’s wandering eyes caught his, and somehow lit up more.

 

“Yurio! I swear you’re a little too young to be a driving me around, right?” Phichit grinned, pulling Yurio into a short tight squeeze.

 

“Ha ha, age jokes. Funny. If you can do that, I have full permission to call you Grandpa all day.” Yurio snorted, and Phichit pinched his shoulder as he pulled out of their hug.

“I made a terrible mistake telling Yuuri my true age, he really can’t keep secrets can he?”

 

“Neither of them can.” Yurio shrugged, catching a humorous glint in Phichits eyes. “Oh, that reminds me. How’s your head doing? You better still be able to walk, cos I’m not carrying you around.”

 

“My … head?” Phichit sounded out, which just fuelled Yurio’s suspicion.

 

“Yeah. Head, singular. The one you bashed on the flight over?”

 

“Oh! My head! Of course, yeah.” Phichit cleared his throat, pulling his bag with one hand and beginning to check his phone as they started to move towards the taxi rank outside.

 

\--

 

 _Head? Was this another part of the plan Yuuri hadn’t told him about?_ Phichit laughed and tried to scan his messages as quickly as possible. _He did always leave everything til last minute._

Trailing off on his laugh, Phichit turns to Yurio with new understanding. He could see the suspicion clear on his face and knew that if he didn’t do something now, it could get the surprise ruined too early.

 

“Riight, my head. Actually, it’s feeling a bit sore right now. Can we stop off to get some ice?” He asked, as if he isn’t already leading Yurio away from the taxi rank and towards one of the large shopping centers a few streets away.

 

“You’re telling me that you’re going to wear what, a tissue with ice in it on your head the whole time you’re here?”

 

“You got a better suggestion?” Phichit laughed, already dreading having to put something that cold on his head for a long time. He acts out a long, sorrowful sigh. “Really I just miss skating so much. I just need some ice to comfort me until I can get back to it.”

 

“Oh my god.” Yurio whimpered into his hand. “They weren’t joking. You’re worse than Viktor.”

 

“Surely you mean his longing for skating.” Phichit tried, handing money over to the confused coffee shop owner who had brought him a tub of ice at his request. She didn’t seem to know whether or not to look pleased to see a celebrity, or concerned that this is what they got up to.

 

“C’mon, you don’t fool me.” Yurio huffed, and for a brief second Phichit panics that he’s been found out before Viktor and Yuuri can finish the job. “You know _exactly_ which part of Viktor you’re like.”

 

“Oh! You mean,” Phichit looks down and then stares dramatically out of the coffee shop window, collapsing into a chair and spilling ice out of the bucket. “Our love for drama.”

 

“Yes! Yes, the drama side.” Yurio agreed hurriedly, pulling Phichit out of his chair and out towards the street where the entire shop of customers wouldn’t be staring at them in bemusement. “Now let’s go, drama queen.”

 

\---

 

Yuuri collapsed back against one of the white-sheet covered new bits of furniture in the room, wiping bits of loose wallpaper off his arms.

 

“This is going to be so obvious what we’ve been doing all day.” He moaned, wincing as part of the wallpaper pulled at his skin. He gave up and decided to just jump in the springs before Yurio got back. A laugh came from the computer, where they’d set Otabek up on skype to help with the design.

 

Groaning, Yuuri struggles to turn his chair towards the computer to talk - he and Viktor had scrambled for the office chair with wheels on, and Yuuri _let_ Viktor win, which he was regretting now. He glares with no heat at his boyfriend, who was painting a detail on one of the walls, sitting down on the chair and gliding back and forth between the design and the paint pot.

 

(“Why are you being extra? Just put the paint pot by your feet.” Yuuri had complained.

“It feels great to get the wind in your hair when you glide!” Viktor had countered, and they’d left it at that.)

 

“You never really said Otabek, how’d you know what Yurio wanted his room to look like?” Yuuri asks, turning his gaze away from Viktor.

 

Otabek shuffled guiltily behind the screen, scratching his head. “It’s … well, it’s not a private story I just think Yurio would be embarrassed to know that _you_ know about it.”

 

“Oooh,” Viktor cooed from his chair, still focused on painting one detail. “Now you just _have_ to tell us.”

 

“A while ago, we planned to move in together. It fell apart because of location differences and skating schedules and whatever, but we planned out a whole apartment for us.” Otabek looked wistful. “It’s actually one of the few times I’d seen him genuinely excited about it. Didn’t complain a single time about the price, having to move or anything.”

 

Viktor caught his eye, and Yuuri saw his own surprise there. Yurio, not complaining? Excited to move?

 

“He got really focused on the design of the living room and his room. Mapped it out and everything, it was really sweet to see him like that.” Otabek brushed the hair back from his face with a soft smile, and Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder if Yurio and Otabek had been in love.

 

The question was on Viktors’ face as well, but Yuuri didn’t get enough time to block it before it floated across the room to Otabek.

 

“Move in together?” There was intention behind Viktors’ words. Otabek looked up from where he’d been staring distantly to the side of the screen.

 

“Hm? Oh, no. Not like that! It’s uh - someone’s calling me. Sorry, got to go.” And with that, he leapt up from his desk, knocking it as he made a hasty exit from his room. The knock turned the computer slightly, so that they could see what Otabek had been staring at off screen.

 

Yuuri leant closer to the screen and tried to work out from the shaky quality what it was. He inhaled quietly when he recognised it.

 

“What picture is it?” Viktor hissed quietly across the room, aware their voices would carry over skype into Otabeks room.

 

“It’s …. Us.” And sure enough, the picture on the desk was the same photo taken on the day Otabek had surprise visited them, at the competition where Yurio had won silver. Viktor squealed in delight, and did a little skip around the room.

 

“Goodness. So precious, the both of them.” He sighed happily, getting back to painting the wall.

 

Yuuri blinked at him. “Hmm.” Viktor looked up at him.

 

“Hmm?” He questioned.

 

“Oh, nothing. I just would have pegged you for the super-overprotective Dad is all.” Viktor laughed heartily at that, then spoke in a murmur.

 

“Otabek doesn’t seem that way. And if he did do anything to Yurio … let’s just say I know how to hide a body.” Viktor winked at Yuuri, and they finished their conversation as Otabek wandered back into the room with a bowl of cereal and a really red face.

 

“What’d I miss?”

 

\---

 

“C’mon Phichit! You’ve been trying on the same shirt for forty minutes now!” Yurio cried impatiently, hammering on the changing room door.

 

“It’s an important shirt, Yurio.”

 

“A shirt can’t be important. All it does is cover your nipples and no-abs.” Phichit opened the door to glare at him for that.

 

“Well, it’s for an important _day_ then.”

 

Yurio rolled his eyes. “Days can’t be important either. It’s a cycle of the earth.”

 

Phichit gave him a pitying look, and put the clothes he’d spent _ages_ buying into the ice-tub that was now free of ice and just a nuisance to carry around. “Days can be special if you make them special though.”

 

“Damn… you really did hit your head hard …”

 

Phichit stuck out his tongue, and then made his way towards the check out. Yurio was shaking his head after him, when his phone buzzed.

_Everyone's being so weird today._ Why was Beka talking to Yuuri and Viktor? One he could understand, but to talk to both at the same time needed a strong stomach. Frustrated, he took to instagram as if it would give him any clues to today's mysteries.

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: a zoomed in picture of phichits head as he pays at the checkout]

Today is not turning out how i planned at all.

_2k_

**@katsydon-yuuri** ;)

 **@viktor-ous** ;)

 **@t-ota-lly-beka-ful** ;)

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: a grumpy yurio flipping off the camera]

Not helpful guys

 **@katsydon-yuuri** ;))))

 **@viktor-ous** ;)))))

 **@t-ota-lly-beka-ful** ;))))))

 **@yuri-plisexy** WHAT IS HAPPENING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for waiting! finally, a happier chapter lmao :)
> 
> comments/kudos are adored and keep my soul going to write new chapters <3 next one should be out later today or tommorow. he finally gets to see the surprise! :0


	14. Locked Out Of Heaven (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there are LOADS of words in this one. sorry not sorry! ,:)

 

 **_@JPNskating_ ** Have you bought your skating tickets for next week yet? Buy them here, seat # running low so buy now for …. (read more)

 _@spicyrolls_ aww ;( not going to be able to make the mens skating this year. Will get to see the girls tho! Super excited for it :D #PowerOfWomen

 _@l8sk8ters_ pumped for phichit to show his new skates off. Heard rumours they’re going to be gold?

 

 ** _@el-tipo-leo_** sup guys, just letting you know my buddies are skating next week- it’d be great if you showed up in support! :) -Leo x

 

-

Yurio checked his phone to confirm that, yes, they had been in this arcade for _four_ hours now.

 

Phichit has ‘persuaded’ (pushed) them to the arcade, because apparently he wanted to collect mementos? On one hand it was nice to hang out with Phichit in real life, but on the other hand the high pitched music screeching over the speakers was getting fucking _annoying_ and stuck in his head.

 

Pushing his phone back into his pocket, he caught his foot tapping along to the tune and glared at it. _Being in here is converting me into a mindless pop addict_ , Yurio thought, focusing back in on the claw machine he’d been struggling at for a good part of those four hours. How hard could it be, really, to get a stuffed tiger?

 

At that moment Phichit caught sight of him and skipped forwards. “Talking of mindless pop addicts-” Yurio began, before he saw that the ice-tub turned basket was filled with a whole zoo of plushies. “W-what? How?” Incredulous, he stared at the glassy eyed toys back to his own claw machine where he’d just dropped yet another plushie.

 

Phichit and Yurio watched it fall in silence.

 

Bubbling with annoyance, Yurio stared at Phichit. “You have to be cheating the machines.”

 

“Ha, not true. I get everything fair and square.” Phichit bragged, rearranging the toys in their basket.

 

“Why do you need so many?” Yurio asked in confusion. It did seem a little much to be carrying around everywhere.

 

“Oh, I’m handing them out at the fan meet before the skate next week.”

 

“Mhmm.” _Doubtful._ “And what number did you get to, before you decided you needed an excuse why you had so many?” Phichit shuffled guiltily.

 

“...43.”

“You have a problem.” Yurio declared, putting another coin in the machine.

 

“I don’t want to break it to you, but you’re the one that’s been on the same machine for an hour.”

 

Frustrated, Yurio pushed the hair back from his face. “Think I don’t know that? These things are dumb anyway.” He kicked the machine and folded his arms tightly, glaring at it. That lasted two seconds, before he started bodily shaking the machine to get the plushie to jump over the edge and fall out.

 

Phichit, being a good friend, put down his ice-tub zoo and started to smack the machine as well.

 

Finally, finally, the plushie rolls down the ‘winner!’ shoot, but Phichit grabs it before Yurio has a chance to. In an instant, he sees where Phichits’ going with this, and starts to beg.

 

“No… no, don’t do this. If you love me please-” But it was too late.

 

Phichit slowly raised the tiger plushie high into the air. “ _It’s the ciiiircle of liiife_ ,” He bellowed, gathering attention all around them.

 

Yurio buried his head in his hands. _Why couldn't I just have normal friends?_

 

-

 

**@l8ersk8ers**

[video: phichit raising the tiger into a spotlight, singing ‘its the circle of life’ tunelessly with yurio half in the shadow, bright red with his head in his hands]

this just happened?? **@phichit-c @yuri-plisexy**

_23k_

**@yuri-plisexy** please … don’t remind me

 **@angelsfan** why so many plushies!? o.o

 

Yuuri laughed, tilting the phone so Viktor could see it as well. “Wow,” Yuuri wondered out loud, seeing the traces of tiredness on Phichits’ face. “I really do owe him big time for this one.”

 

Viktor smiled, sharing the video with himself. “Your plan worked though, he's somehow managed not to let Yurio out of his sight all day.”

 

“Looks like he ran out of places to take him though. Even _I_ don’t know where that arcade is,” Yuuri laughed, squinting to see if he could recognise it, but it was clearly one that wasn’t super popular. “He really went out of his way.” He shook his head, a sense of pleasure filling him. It was all settling into place.

 

He leant his head back on the new couch they’d just shoved into Yurios’ room. It was a job well done - well, to them at least. It had been a big project to shove into one day, but they’d nearly finished.

 

The room Viktor had been sleeping in when he first came here had slowly become Yurios’ room. As the younger skater branched out from the second smaller room, he’d left some of his heavier stuff in the guest room. Yuuri had talked it over with his mum, and was so pleased she agreed with him that Yurio could have the guest room as his own room entirely.

 

Mainly because Viktor had already been peeling down the wallpaper at that point.

 

He turned to watch the man in question, his silver hair catching the late evening sun as he stared out of the window. “Yuuri,” Viktor said suddenly, startling Yuuri from his musings. “I … I think it’s time.”

 

“Time for what?” Yuuri asked, settling more comfortably. But instead of a reply, Viktor marched out of Yurios’ new room into their shared one. Confused, Yuuri listened to the frantic unzipping of a suitcase and then the hesitant steps back to the room. He stared as Viktor re-enters, sitting tensely next to him. In his hands are two unrumpled, but clearly old, pieces of paper.

 

Clearly the heading reads, “CONSENT OF ADOPTION”.

 

If he hadn’t already been sitting down, he would have fainted.

 

“And you thought him moving in was a big deal this morning.”

 

Viktor laughed in relief, his shoulders dropping. “I… I’ve actually kept onto them for a long time now. I brought them everywhere we went, just in case Yurio really felt he couldn’t live with his mum anymore and … needed a legal guardian.”

 

He hands the papers to Yuuri, who wipes some stray paint from his glasses to read it. “How did you get a signature for this?”

 

“Chris’ boyfriend is an attorney.” Viktor explains like it’s no big deal. “He’d heard about Yurio’s situation from me and Chris when we thought it was getting really bad. He told me that no self respecting person who had power was just going to watch that happen.”

 

Yuuri takes a stilted breath when he sees the date the signatures were put on. “Viktor …. These were signed five years ago.” He looked at the man next to him. “You’ve been thinking about this for five years? Why didn’t you talk to him about it?”

 

“It never seemed the time to bring it up with Yurio. At that point he hadn’t even talked to his mother for eight years and basically lived with me anyway. Now, his 18th birthday is tomorrow-”

“-and you don’t think he’ll need a 'father figure' in his adult years.” Yuuri nodded in understanding. Then he reached out and swatted Viktors’ head, ignoring his protests. “That is one of _the_ dumbest things I’ve ever heard you say.”

 

“Ow! What did I say wrong?” Viktor asked in shock, cradling his head.

 

“You know Yurio’s full name, right.” Yuuri checked. “Yuri _Viktorovich_ Plitsesky? He’s thought about you as a father for a long time, and you’ve treated him like your son for longer.” He hands the papers back to Viktor.

 

“We’ve done all this to make him feel at home,” Yuuri gestured to the room around them, re-painted with all its’ new furniture in it. “Why not make it official?”

 

Viktor bit his lip, his eyes looking indecisive. “I just don’t want to spring on him for his birthday and be rejected. I don’t want him to-”

 

Yuuri shushed him gently, carding Viktors’ silver hair back and poked the frown on his face until it smoothed out. “At least ask him.” He ran his hand up and down Viktors’ back, looking down at the …. the adoption forms with him. He could feel Viktors’ racing heartbeat through his t-shirt, and was pleased to feel it slow as he started to breathe more evenly.

 

A sharp burst of buzzing to his phone pulled them out of the moment, and Yuuri got up to check the message so that Viktor could wipe his eyes in peace.

 

 

Yuuri shrieked a little bit, feeling goosebumps rise up all his arms. He looked around the room that was just not done. There were still bits of plaster everywhere and they hadn’t even begun to move any of Yurios’ own stuff back in yet.

 

“Yuuri?” Viktor called after him, as Yuuri sprinted down the hall to the entrance. “What happened!?”

 

Yuuri flung the door open to see Yurio pounding forwards, Phichit sprinting along beside him.

 

“They’re back!”

 

-

 

“Don’t you dare close that door! What’s going on?” Yurio yelled, running full speed towards the door. He felt nothing but determination to get in - even if he had to clamber in through a window. Yuuris’ frightened face made him slow down, suddenly thinking something bad might have happened. In those few precious seconds he slowed, Phichit slipped around him and yelled all the way to the front door. _No way!_ He managed to slip in around Yuuri and was grinning manically as the door closed …. again.

 

Growling, he hammered on the door for a solid few minutes before giving up and sinking down to the doorstep. _They didn’t want him to get in through the front door? Fine_ , he got to his feet and started to scale one of the fences that surrounded the spas. _Just watch me._ He dropped to the ground and heard gasps from the spa residents, as a fully clothed teenage casually hopped down into the springs and stormed back inside.

 

\--

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: yurio storming down the corridor, flushed from running across the spa]

long hair …. wet ….. is this the ring? Samara??

_19k_

**@yuri-plisexy** this isn’t funny anymore, let me into my damn house!

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: yurio wearing a fake mustache, eating among the residents, glaring directly at the camera]

LMAO HE TRIED

_21k_

**@angelsfan** looool what is happeningg ;w;

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: viktor and yuuri forcibly pushing yurio back out of a ground floor window that he tried to climb through, phichit brandishing a cross at them]

NOT TODAY SATAN!!

_27k_

**@riba2** LMAO IM DEAD

 

\--

 

“I give up!” Yurio roared at the sky. He knew that they were messing with him, and he was boiling with rage from that. But a smaller part of him was questioning if this was them throwing him out ….? He shook his head. Nah, that wouldn’t be. They’d at least let him get his cheetah jacket first.

 

A thought sprung to his mind. _There is one thing I haven’t tried yet…._

 

He loads up his messages.

 

\--

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: a zoomed in blurry picture of yuuris face, covering in bits of paint]

scrub, i am now at your service

_4k_

**@yuri-plisexy** FINALLY

 **@angelsfan** anyone else lost af right now??

 

\--

 

Otabek had to cover his mouth to stop from laughing out loud in the airport at all the photos of Yurio’s plans failing to get back inside the Katsuki household. He was still grinning at the last one, of Yurio flipping off the camera from outside a window as Phichit took a blurry selfie - it honestly looked like he’d been crying himself laughing.

 

When he’d landed in the Japan airport, he’d felt his phone buzz like a rocket taking off. He’d checked the messages out as he got his bags and guitar case on one of those trolley thingies, and got the vague idea that their plan had worked but they still felt guilty for keeping Yurio outside for so long. Likewise, Otabek had been feeling guilty for not telling Yurio he was coming to visit.

 

Or stay.

 

His smile faded a little, thinking about his situation. He hoped Yurio would be able to understand and not freak out …. His thoughts were interrupted by a hand tapping his shoulder insistently. He turned, ready to fend off a fan, only to find Mari squinting at him through dark ringed eyes.

 

“Woah, you alright?” He asked, getting up as if she was going to fall down any second. She definitely looked like it. Mari waved him off.

 

“Otabek, right.”

 

“Yes, that’s me.” Otabek replied hesitantly. This was Yuuris’ sister, right?

“Cool. Let’s get your stuff in the car and get back to the spa, so I can get some well deserved rest.” Mari sighed, starting to walk towards the car park, and Otabek had to hurry up with all his bags to keep up. As they walked, he listened to her complaints. “God, they’ve been so noisy! It’s not that I don’t love Yurio, I do, just why they decided to do all this on one day is beyond me.”

 

Beka perked up, knowing he could explain that part. “Oh, because it’s Yurio’s birthday tommorow.” Mari paused, and stared at him for a second.

 

“His … birthday?” She said hopefully “Does that mean there’s … a party?” Otabek grinned and juggled his bags a bit higher on his shoulder.

 

“Probably. Some of the guests might be turning up soon.” He commented, checking his watch. “It was all planned a bit last minute, so some skaters couldn’t make it.”

 

“Did Yuuri plan it?”

 

“Uh, yes.”

 

“That explains why it’s last minute.” Mari snorted, shaking her head. She seemed more alert now that she knew what was going on. “Sorry for being snappy earlier. Yuuri basically begged me to come collect you, just after my shift ended no less.” _Oh, that does sound rough_ , Otabek winced. He vowed never to leave anything too last minute in the future … especially if Mari was involved.

 

Reaching the car, he made to shove his bags into the boot but soon realised that you couldn’t really shove a guitar case into the boot. “Crap,” He muttered, going to the drivers side where Mari was getting ready to move. “Hey, can I put this in the back seat?” He held the guitar case up so Mari could see it - her eyes lit up.

 

“Oh! Yeah sure.” Her eyes followed the guitar case all the way to the back seat, and then onto Otabek when he clambered into the passenger's seat beside her. “You play?”

 

“In pubs, on streets sometimes, when I need the money.”

 

“Why’d you bring it?” Mari questioned, pulling out into the busy streets. Otabek resigned himself to a long journey - at least he was in good company.

 

“Ha, well. I thought I could play it to relax before skating.” It was a little lie, he didn’t need to unload all the true personal crap onto an already stressed person.

 

“Hm,” Mari commented, sounding impressed. “Guess you can stick around then.”

 

\--

 

Having given up for real this time, Yurio contented himself by throwing rocks sitting on the doorstep. He’d had the time to wonder how the guests got out if not through the front door, and imagined them building a portal that teleported guests straight back to their homes.

 

Yeah, he’d been out here a while now.

 

Right on cue, there was a sharp click as the lock behind him slid open. Instantly, Yurio scrambled to his feet and pushed the door wide open. A shadow disappeared round the corner towards his room, and he sprinted after it hearing only blood in his ears.

 

“There better be a _really good reason_ why I’ve been kept out of the house all day-” Yurio ranted, flicking on the lights in the darkened hallway. The words died on his tongue, and his heart clenched in fear as several faces loomed towards him.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Yelled the people in the hallway, making Yurio stagger back a bit at the force of it. He swore his heart literally stopped beating for a second. Yuuri, Viktor, Phichit and Chris were standing outside the entrance to the guest room.

 

“You …. what.” Yurio struggled to comprehend this. _When did Chris get here? Why were they outside the guest room?_ He saw the paint splattering Yuuri and Viktors faces and growled angrily. “How does re-painting the guest room and kicking me out of the house for hours, with that one,” He pointed harshly at Phichit, who feigned innocence. “Make it a _happy_ birthday!?”

 

“Because…” Viktor smiled, looking excited. “It’s not a guest room anymore. It’s your room!”

 

His heart stopped beating for another second. _Don’t get emotional. Do. Not. Get. Emotional._ He cleared his throat roughly. “What … what do you mean it’s my room.”

 

“Exactly that,” Yuuri beamed as Yurio approached, pausing outside the door to the guest- no. To _his_ room. “It’s official - this is your space now. If, ah, you want it …?” Hesitation showed on Yuuris face but Yurio could only blink in response.

 

“The only thing official is that you’ve gone mad,” Yurio muttered, turning on the light in the room - _woah_. It was going to be hard not to get emotional after all.

 

 _It’s exactly how I pictured it._ He thought in wonder, moving around the room. What struck him first was the wall filled with pictures and paintings. In the middle of the (now blue paneled) wall was the russian inscription of his name. _Viktor’s work?_ Surrounding it were pictures and posters of all his wins, some of the one’s they’d taken together as a group. His old room that had joined onto this one, had turned into the storage place and he was sure if he moved the door, a million bits of junk would fall out. For now he just took in his new room like a breath of fresh air.

 

His eyes lingered on how there was a cheetah printed rug on the floor. How the window in the room was now visible and would probably light the room up during the daytime. How his shoes had been lined up by the door, how his clothes were _hanging up_ instead of thrown in piles.

 

It was everything he’d wanted in a room, and more. Yurio basked in the moment, feeling Yuuri and Viktor eyes’ on him. He turned back towards them, about to admit this might make him tear up, when his eyes caught on the bed - and more importantly, _who_ was in the bed.

 

“MILA!?” Yurio gasped, actually feeling a spasm in his chest. Her phone camera flash went off and he let out a long ragged breath, folding over.

 

“No need to get so work up, bro.” Mila laughed, rolling off the bed and coming round to hug him. “Look at this! It was exactly how you described it!” She said gleefully, ruffling his hair.

 

“Yea… yea it really is.” Yurio could hear his voice coming out low and soft, and saw how Viktor and Yuuri looked sappily at each other from him saying it. Clearing his throat again, he started actually trying to use words to thank them. This is what’d they’d spent all day on? Why they looked so tired. “I…. I don’t even know what to say here. Except, thank you.” He looked directly at Yuuri then.

 

“Thank you, Yuuri. This is your home and your family and for you to give me my own room here is … is a big deal. I can’t even,” He waved his hands about trying to describe it but found his words lacking. He felt on cloud nine.

 

A bit staggered, he gave Yuuri a tight hug, whispering ‘thank you’s into his shoulder. Yuuri patted his back a few times, and Yurio let go, failing to hide his sniffles. “That’s not even all of it.” Yuuri said softly, pulling back and nodding pointedly at Viktor.

 

Viktor looked nervous, for some reason. “Follow me.” He gestured, already walking away from the room. Yurio smiled timidly, looking at it over his shoulder as he followed Viktor. _His_ room.

 

-

**@therealmila**

[image: the picture taken the instant yurio realised someone was on his bed, its blurred and it looks like the ghost of yurio is leaving his body]

b-day boy has officially been sh00k

 

-

 

“What’s this about?” Yurio asked. Viktor takes in a deep breath, then pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket. He hands it folded over to Yurio, and waits for him to open it.

 

Viktor not talking usually was a bad sign. _It looks like he’s going to cry._ Yurio flicks open the paper and the words jump out of the paper in huge black and white letters.

 

‘ **CONSENT FOR ADOPTION FORM** ’

 

What little breath he had leaves him. His hands shake, and he covers his mouth. _Did this mean …?_ “Seriously?” Yurio asked, in an awed voice.

 

“From the bottom of my heart.” Viktor promised, his voice and smile cracking slightly under the weight of the moment.

 

If he’d been on cloud nine, he was shooting towards the stratosphere now.

 

“You don’t have to sign them now,” Viktor assured him hurriedly. “I-well. Yuuri said I should let you know it’s an option. Has been an option, actually, for a long time. 5 years.” Yurio couldn’t take his eyes off the fact it was _signed_ . It just needed his signature and he’d … legally …. be Viktor’s _son_. “You don’t even have to think about it right now-”

 

“Just tell me one thing,” Yurio interrupted.

 

“Anything.”

 

“... were these forms in your back pocket the entire 5 years?” Viktor laughed.

 

“That’s for me to know.” He winked.

 

“Gross.”  Yurio scrunched his nose up, trying to look disgusted but probably just looked disgustingly happy. “I get that it’s dumb, considering I’ve been outside all day, but I ... need some air right now.”

  
Viktor clapped his shoulder without a word, and headed back inside. 

 

Yurio still heard the small squeal of happiness he let out when he thought he was out of earshot anyway.

 

He stared in wonder down at the adoption papers. _He had to have known somehow_ , Yurio thought. _He had to have known... I've had these same adoption papers in my room, for six years._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so. many. words. theres actually a small chapter coming soon that was meant to be the end of this one... but it reached over 4,000 words and i just couldnt put anyone through 4,000+ words of bad writing lmao.
> 
> update: due to april/may being busy, I'm going to do a beyonce.  
> well, im not dropping a single, but dropping 3 new chapters for you over the weekend! :) unfortunately this does mean there will be a hiatus, thanks for your understanding <3
> 
> as always comments/kudos are very highly valued and i love everyone who comments no matter how random! :)


	15. Mother Dearest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *picks up off last chapter

_I should probably go inside_ , Yurio thought.

 

It was getting colder and his skin was raised with goosebumps. But the idea of going back into a room where he would see the people he cared about, seeing him emotional.... It wasn’t something he wanted to happen. Ever.

 

_One more minute._

 

That one minute turned into five, then ten. He’d stayed out so long that he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore, but he was still holding onto the adoption forms and couldn’t bear to put them away. _I hate Viktor - saying ‘you don’t have to think about it right now’ as if I’m going to be able to think about anything else right now_.

 

Suddenly the spa lit up, as the outside lights were turned on, blinding him for a moment. Staying quiet, he watched as a round figure bumbled around outside, humming tunelessly. He felt awkward - he thought he was having a moment. Weren’t they always supposed to be uninterrupted?

 

“Oh!” The figure gasped, turning around and seeing him in the half darkness of the bench. She laughed, patting her chest in relief. “I didn’t see you there, Yurio. Why are you out here?” She moved towards the light, putting the broom she’d been sweeping leaves with to one side. “Everyone seems to be celebrating your 18th birthday, except you.” Yurio found her voice warm and calming, like even though he almost gave her a heart attack she was still OK.

 

_Guess that’s just how the Katsuki’s roll._

 

“I… have a lot to think about, I guess.” Hesitantly, Yurio shows the paper to Mama Katsuki, who smiled and clapped joyfully.

 

“That’s wonderful! Though, I did think he already was your father.” She laughs, scratching her head in embarrassment. Yurio felt a flush of guilt. Hiroko Katsuki had built this spa and ran it for a long time - and all of a sudden, there were two russians moving in without her even really knowing.

 

“Isn’t it a lot though? You barely know me and Viktor and now we just …. live here.” Yurio found his pulse was racing. How could they be so dumb? Just taking over two rooms like they had the right? He should just leave and -

 

Mama Katsuki placed a warm hand over his. He was surprised it was shaking. Her eyes were warm but serious when she spoke. “Yes, you _live_ here. We didn’t let many people use that guest room, so you living here gave us a reason to re-decorate.” Shocked by the casualness of the statement, Yurio looked at her.

 

“I just seriously feel like us Russians are starting to clog up your house.” Mama Katsuki laughed, slapping her leg.

 

“None of you hang around though! Everyone is off training for one thing or another, and Yuuri still does his chores, so I can live with it.” She reassured him, standing up and grabbing the broom again. Yurio winced at that. Here he was, unloading his problems onto someone who was letting him and Viktor stay out of the goodness of her heart. Awkwardly, he stood up after her - his leg had gone dead from staying still in the cold for so long. Mama Katsuki looked surprised.

 

“Was there something else?” She prompted, half turned away.

 

“Can I …. help? Somehow? I feel bad for gatecrashing your family.” He asked nervously, rubbing some warmth back into his arms.

 

“You are part of this family Yurio. Whether you like it or not,” Mama Katsuki smiled mischievously. “And just like any family member, you’re already on the chore cycle.”

 

 _That_ caught him off guard. “Chore cycle?”

 

“Yes, the chore cycle that I see Viktor and you walk past daily.” Her voice held an undercurrent of reapproach, but instead of wanting to run or defend himself like he would his own mother, Yurio just smiled sheepishly.

 

“I… can’t read?”

 

“Pfft. Don’t take me for a fool, Yurio.” She handed the brush over to him. “If you’re going to be out here for longer, would you do the honours?”

 

Eager to please, Yurio nodded and took the broom off her. He could probably work out how to rake leaves on the fly, right? “S-sure. Thanks, Hiroko.”

 

She waves her hand in a ‘it was nothing’ sort of way, and heads back into the spa. Before she closes the door, she calls out to him, “Don’t stay out here too long! People want to celebrate your birth, even if you don’t!”

 

Thankful for the distraction, Yurio waves her goodbye and focuses his attention on sweeping the leaves left from the afternoon.

 

-

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: yurio outside sweeping the leaves from the spa, looking lost in his own world]

honestly we leave him for five minutes and he’s already found another job smh #BringBackSkaterPlitsexy

 

-

 

“He’s been out there for a while, Yuuri-” Viktor murmured nervously, biting his fingernails. He’d started to pace in front of the TV in the bar area, making the party guests have to bend their heads side to side to watch the programme.

 

“Viktor-” Yuuri sighed.

 

“It was the wrong time after all, I’m such an idiot-”

 

“Viktor-” Yuuri tried again, trying not to show too much frustration.

 

“Do you think he threw them in the spa!?” Viktor finally gasps horrified, standing directly in front of the TV, right as the winner of the game show is announced.

 

“VIKTOR!” Echoed the guests, all frowning at him. Apparently, that got through.

 

“Oh, sorry.” Viktor blinks and lowers his hands from his face, moving away from the TV to sit with Yuuri. He taps the table, and Yuuri can see the stress all over his body. Tense shoulders, not bothering to brush his hair back from his face. Only a seriously distracted Viktor would let his hair slip.  He was about to offer some comfort, when Phichit joined them.

 

“Yurio would be the _one_ person not to go to his own surprise party,” Phichit laughed, messing around on his phone. His eyes lingered on the photo he’d just posted, and he murmured, “Maybe it should just be us? I mean, if he’s already feeling overwhelmed, we could ask the guests you found online to leave. Half of them don’t even know who Yurio _is_.”

 

“But … aren’t parties supposed to have loads of people in it?” Yuuri asked in confusion. The skating banquets had always been huge affairs, with lots of guests and food. He’d managed to free the bar area to fill it with lots of people - some skaters that knew each other, some that didn’t and … yes, ok, it was clear now that inviting randoms off the internet hadn’t been the _greatest_ idea. “I just wanted Yurio to feel celebrated.”

 

“Good plan, bad execution.” Phichit spoke, nodding wisely.  “Celebrating someone is fine, but-”

 

“It should be people who love that person. That would mean more to him than strangers.” Viktor interrupted, gesturing to the wide range of guests behind him still stuck to the TV screen. _Well, at least he’s not thinking about the papers anymore …. even if it is just to roast my bad planning._

 

-

Panting, Otabek knocked on the spa door. _I never knew the car park and the spa were so far apart before._ He wipes some sweat from his forehead. _I should have stolen that airport trolley after all._

 

Mari appeared beside him, looking more frazzled than when they’d met in the airport. “Told you it wasn’t a short cut!” Mari hissed, hitting Otabek’s shoulder as she pushed past him to unlock the door. “And why are you knocking idiot, I have a key?”

 

“I wasn’t thinking so-” He stopped, Mari waving a hand over his face.

 

“Stop. Shh.” She leant her ear to the door, her eyes wide and expectant. “People…. actually showed up?” Mari smoothed her hair down, before heading into what looked like the bar/party area. Otabek struggled with all his suitcases into the hallway and Mari left him to … socialise.

 

Scanning the guests, Otabek smiled internally, seeing the rest of the skaters crowded around one table playing card games. He frowned, not seeing Yurio or Viktor with them-

 

A hand tapped him on the shoulder. “Otabek! You made it!” Phichit cheered, and then looked amused at all the bags he’d brought with him. “... aaand, you packed your entire house?”

 

Otabek laughed nervously, scratching his head. “Something like that. Is there somewhere I can put these?” Phichit nodded, leading him down into the hallway with two rooms in.

 

“Oh!” He said, recognising one room on sight. “Is this-?”

 

“Yurio’s? Yup.” Phichit looked rather proud, pushing the door open. Otabek felt weirdly invasive, standing at the door like this with all his bags around his feet. Peering in, not much was visible from the hallway light, but he could already tell it was _much_ better than the room he’d seen on skype. “Shame you couldn’t be here to see his reaction in person.” Phichit sighed, shoving the last of his bags into the new room.

 

“Yea - wait what?” Otabek raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Did he leave?” _Have I missed him already?_ It was a miserable thought, but honestly his week couldn’t get any worse.

 

“Uh, sort of.” Phichit tried to explain, leading them back to the bar.

 

“Do you know when he’ll be getting back?” Otabek asked, stepping into the bar which went suspiciously quiet as he did. Looking up, he saw Yurio close the sliding door behind him. He looked red in the face, and his eyes were darting guest to guest before they settled on his.

 

“I got back like three hours ago.” He snorted, making his way towards them. Otabek snapped his fingers and tutted jokingly.

 

“Damn, _just_ missed the surprise!”  

 

“Well, um. Really, no. This _is_ surprising. You’re here, loads of skaters and … other people?” He leaned around Otabek to look at the guests who all nodded and cheered back at him. Yurio gave them a thumbs up before straightening up. He turns with his hands on his hips towards Yuuri and Viktor who had been lost in the crowd before. “How did anyone even know it was my birthday?”

 

“Though you think you are, you’re not quite as mysterious as you want to be-” Yuuri laughed.

 

“-I found it on wikipedia.” Phichit piped up, withering under Yuuri’s glare.

 

“Curse the internet.” Yurio growled, to another round of cheers. He glared at them. “Where did these punks come from anyway?”

 

“They all came to celebrate your birthday-” Yuuri started, with a fake excitement in his voice.

 

“-Yuuri googled you some friends.”

 

“Stop _exposing_ me!” Yuuri demanded, turning a deep red.

 

“Payback’s a bitch.” Phichit said smugly.

 

-

**@viktor-ous**

[image: setting up yurios birthday cake with yuuri and chris in the kitchen with them both grinning at the camera]

almost time!! :D

_13k_

**@yuri-plisexy** dont let him fool you. this is just carb loading for training!!! >:(

 **@angelsfan** precious awww  <3

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: a grumpy but half smiling yurio blowing out candles with a lopsided party hat, viktor clapping happily beside him and yuuri wiping icing from yurios’ hair]

BIRTHDAY BOI! :0

_23k_

**@totally-bekaful** this  <33

 **@anyelling** ,,,, when ya hairs so long it gets in the icing ,,,,,

 

**@katsudon-yuuri**

[image: a selfie with all the skaters that showed to the party

thanks to everyone who came for yurios 18th! really nice seeing you again and wish you luck for the championship next week!x even though we know who’s going to win …. ;)

 **@phichit-c** FIGHT ME

 

-

 

Celebrations died down soon afterwards, as Yurio kicked out the guests Yuuri had found online and some of the skater they didn’t know as well headed to their hotels. Apparently a lot of them had showed up because the spa was near to the arena, and they had responded to Yuuri’s mass text saying ‘URGENT: PARTY GUESTS NEEDED’. Yes, he had screenshotted that text and yes he was never going to let Yuuri forget it.

 

There had been birthday cake and blowing out candles, but Yurio was trying hard to repress the memory of wearing a party hat while people serenaded him. _Not my kind of party, thank you very much._ But … Beka playing ‘happy birthday’ on guitar had been a good memory. And it maybe, kinda, felt nice when Yuuri and Viktor showed him a cake with his name on it. A little bit.

 

Now the remaining skaters had split into two rooms. Chris and Phichit were staying in Viktor and Yuuri’s room, while Mila and Otabek had decided to crowd his. Mila had pulled the Russian version of cards against humanity out of nowhere, and demanded they play it.

 

Otabek and Yurio had teamed up after the first round, under the excuse that Otabek couldn’t understand the russian cards. In reality it was because Mila was _really_ good at the game, like, a force to be reckoned with kind of good. Yurio looked at the cards in their hands now and shook his head at Beka. Holding the cards up, he mouthed words at him.

 

_“We’re not going to win.”_

 

 _“What? You have to, it’s your birthday. Mila wouldn’t make you lose on your birthday.”_ Beka argued, but Yurio turned pale and shook his head.

 

 _“She’s a beast at this game, man. She’s not going to stop.”_ They peered over the top of the cards where Mila was grinning evily back at them.

 

“Give up?” She asked tauntingly, fanning herself with her cards. Yurio had just been about to defend that they would never give up, and subtly ask them if they could sleep so the game would be over, when the door creaked open.

 

“I do.” Mira groaned, swaying on her feet. It was met by reassuring murmurs from Beka and Mila. Yurio frowned at them. Since when had they gotten to know Mira? Mila patted the space beside her, and Mira collapsed beside her, leaning into her side. “Sorry to crash the party,” She yawned, eyes already closing. “Yuuri couldn’t handle sleeping with three people in the room and begged my bed off me. Then he started crying, and then Viktor came in and they both started crying. Did you know Viktor only wears a bathrobe when he sleeps? I didn’t but, _boy,_ do I now.” Mira rambled until it trailed off into her snoring, head on Mila’s lap.

 

The three awake people shared a look. Yurio smiled triumphantly.

 

“That means we should stop then!” He nudged Beka, who instantly agreed with him.

 

“Ah, yup. Can’t play and interrupt Miras’ beauty sleep.”

 

Mila glares evenly at both of them. “Nice try guys. I’ll beat your ass at this tomorrow.”

 

Yurio fake pouted, getting up from the floor to climb into his new bed. “We’re just as heart broken we couldn’t trash you either.” Otabek grinned, and gave him a high five as he passed to get to his sleeping bag.

 

“Yeah, we definitely had a killer ...hand?” Beka trailed off, and Yurio cringed and sighed at how bad his friend was at lying.

 

“You’re literally the worst partner ever.” He snorted, then thought over what he said. “Card partner. Cards.” They caught each other’s eyes and both started laughing, before Mila begun shushing them.

  


**_Midnight_ **

 

Yurio rolled restlessly onto his stomach, keeping an eye on the three people in his room. In some way or another, they were his family. No one here would throw a pot when they got mad. No one in this house had rejected him for being him.

 

This, right here, was his family.

 

Somehow, somewhere along his life line ... these crazy people had become his new normal.

  
It's with those thoughts, Yurio turns on his phone and types a number in that he hadn't for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ewww more words and sappy stuff xD  
> this was meant to be an interlude ... but turned into actual plot related things and feels?  
> next two chapters are coming out soon! :)
> 
> as always thoughts and comments/kudos are super appreciated and let me know how you think the story is going! its changed a bit since it started but hopefully in a good way lol. thanks so much for reading! :)


	16. Temple Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings!  
> * talk of abuse  
> * character experiencing manipulative verbal abuse  
> please take care when reading <3

Yurio wakes to someone tapping his nose.

 

He twitches, trying to shake it off, but it just keeps going.

 

Annoyed, he open his eyes and stares at what interrupted his beauty sleep. There, smiling away, was a small Japanese ‘good luck cat’ that waved it’s paw. _Your smile is too bright for this morning_ , Yurio thought groggily, putting the cat down on the floor beside him. . . only to find another one. “What the …?” His eyes followed where the cat was waving, to see what seemed to be a line of waving cats from his bed to the door of his room.

 

Slowly, Yurio sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. _Nope, they’re still there_. He stared at the army of waving cats in bewilderment. He looked up as the floorboards outside his door creaked, and Yuuri poked his head in.

 

“Yurio, are you up? We made food and everyone’s waiting for you.” Yuuri asked calmly, leaning against the doorway. Yurio blinked at him in astonishment.

 

“You’re not going to explain?” He demanded, to Yuuri’s surprise.

 

“Explain what?”

 

“The cats, you dumbass!” Yurio held the one he’d woken up to tightly in his grip and waved it in his direction. But Yuuri just frowned, squinting through his glasses, making a show of looking around the room before shrugging.

 

“Cats? What cats?” If Yurio didn’t know any better, he could swear Yuuri was smirking. Glaring, Yurio carefully waded through his room, wincing when his ankle got hit every so often by their hard china paws.

 

“I don’t believe for a second you can’t see them.” Yurio glared, shrugging into a big hoodie he’d found buried under at least five good luck cats.

 

“There are no cats though, Yurio…” Yuuri repeated, a hint of concern in his voice. Yurio snorted, pushing past him and striding down the corridor towards the dining room. Still struggling with the arms of the hoodie, which seemed way too big on him now he was more alert, he bumbled into the room with the most talking.

 

“Whoever put all those cats in my room, I don’t know why or how you did it but it wasn’t funny an-” He stopped, because before him were his fellow skaters, all wearing cat ears and even more of those china cats. “What is happening?” He whispered, sliding down into a seat next to Otabek. Everyone at the table looked concerned, exchanging glances between each other.

 

“Yurio thinks there are cats haunting him.” Yuuri explained to the others, and Yurio could hear the hint of mocking behind it.

 

Yurio turned to Otabek, expecting to find at least a little normal in this strange morning.

 

“Tell me you can see the cats.” He demanded in a low voice, eyes fixed on the pair of cat ears on Otabeks’ head. He already regretted asking, as Otabek frown deepened.

 

“Cats? There are no cats Yurio.” Beka shook his head at the question, and turned back to eating his breakfast.

 

For a full five minutes, Yurio considered the odds that he might have gone mad. Or dropped through an alternate universe. Or anything that would explain this.

 

Suddenly, Phichit snorted. Then Yuuri put his hand to his mouth to cover his own laughs. And then Viktor belly laughed and it set off the whole room - except Yurio. “What? _What?_ ” He demanded, getting more and more cranky. Otabek came down from his laughter the first, taking off the cat ears and grinning at Yurio.

 

“It’s uh, Phichit told us that it’s tradition in Thailand to prank someone after their birthday.” He wiped one tear of laughter from his eye. “Happy prank day!”

 

“That’s such bullshit!” Yurio yelled, flinging a pair of the cat ears like a frisbee towards Phichit - he managed to catch them somehow between bouts of laughing. “You trusted him?”

 

Otabek shrugged, still smirking. “It was still hilarious to prank you. It’s also a day in Kazakhstan as well-” Yurio cut him off by smothering him with his jumper sleeve. He glared evenly at everyone, then grabbed a bread roll from the table.

 

“Aw, come on Yurio! It was funny!” Viktor laughed, waving like one of the china cats. Yurio ignored everyone, feeling like he was the joke.

 

“Nope. Not funny, that’s my official rating of this morning.” He picked up one of the china cats again, watching it’s paw wave back and forth almost mockingly. “Where did you even find these anyway?”

 

“They placed a special order from a shrine-” Phichit perked up, seemingly satisfied with the number of cat and Yurio related pictures he’d taken. Yuuri and Viktor made motions as if to shush him, but his eyes stayed on his phone. “Ooh, I think if I google it we could see it-”

 

“A shrine?” Yurio asked, intrigued. Viktor made a side-eye at Phichit, but Yuuri took the time to fill him in.

 

“Yeah, those good-luck cats come from the small shops in and around the shrine.”

 

“I want to go.” Yurio demanded firmly, deciding that he actually liked the small waving cats. And heck, he could use all that good luck. A thought flickered to life in his brain, and he casually asked, “So these shrines…. are they just in Japan?”

 

“Uh, yes-” Yuuri admitted quietly.

 

“Asshole! That means you did this!” Yurio hissed, throwing the other pair of cat ears at him. Yuuri yelped and ducked into Viktors’ side. “As the birthday boy, I might forgive you -   _if_ you take me up to this shrine.”

 

“-it’s not your birthday though?” Yurio raised his hand in a shushing motion to Yuuri.

 

“As the loving, forgiving, birthday boy I have accepted your apology and your agreement to take me to the shrine.”

 

“- I didn’t agree!” Yuuri complained, but Yurios’ phone buzzing loudly and for a long time put an end to that argument. He took a glance at his phone, expecting social media notifications, and was surprised to see his Grandads’ number pop up on screen. _6 missed calls? 2 texts?_ He hated missing texts or calls from his Grandad, they barely happened enough as it was.

 

Conversation at the table moved on to talking about how the day could work out. Something about making it into a group trip, and other useless social things like that. He unlocked his phone, and started looking at the missed messages.

 

-

 

A sense of dread filled Yurio. He put down his roll, and pulled the large hoodie tighter around himself. _He couldn’t mean…. could he?_

 

-

He tried to act normal, but his world was turning upside. In those three minutes even just talking about his ex-mother had made his skin crawl. And she was here. In Japan. Waiting to meet him. A sense of nauseau settled uneasily on him, and a hot flush over his skin. He pushed up his hoodie sleeves to try and cool down, but his skin was feeling too tight against him. He was struggling for air.

 

Trying not to make a scene, he pushed back from the table. All eyes followed him, but he kept his gaze on the floor. He tugged gently at Otabeks’ shirt, a silent plea for him to follow.

 

“Yurio?” Viktor asked with the slightest of concern. _Quick, think normal_. Immediately after thinking that, Yurio could almost hear fake audience applause. This was the least normal thing to happen. She was back. And _here_.

 

“Pretty sure the shrine doesn’t want us to turn up dressed like this,” He snided, forcing the words out and hoping they didn’t seem too noticeably fake. It was enough to settle Viktor though, and Yurio made his quick escape with Otabek.

 

He ignored the cheerful wolf-whistle that Chris made.

 

**@chrispy-swissroll**

[image: yurio pulling otabek down the hallway, with his hair flying from the speed they walked away. in front of the door, phichit it pointed to them with a mischievous look, still wearing the cat ears.]

Ahh, young love <3

_15k_

**@nudechris4ever** this is one of the purest posts on his purely sinful instagram lmao

 **@kaz-attack** yuri!! Otabek!! :D are they at the spa omg!

 **@cuald-u-not** why the cat ears? :0

 

-

Yurio felt Bekas’ growing concern fall off him in waves, but didn’t speak until they were in the privacy of his room. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror on his walls. Everything about him looked pathetic. Dragging Otabek around behind him, a big hoodie and it didn’t look like any comb had touched his head for weeks. _Weak, pathetic_. His mind started chanting, and he turned away from the mirror quickly.

 

Otabeks’ hands fell on his shoulders. “Yuri? What happened?” Hearing his real name made his panic spike. He’d changed his name to Viktorovich and that’s why he was in this mess. He’d wanted no drama, but of course he had to send that message. What a stupid thing to do.

 

“Beka…” He tried to sound rational, but his voice was low and almost unrecognisable. “I’m an idiot.” Through his blurry vision, he found the messages and showed Beka who kept one hand on his shoulder and scrolled with the other.

 

“You made contact with your mother?” Yurio could tell Otabek was trying to keep the horrible comments to himself. _The amount that I complain about her, maybe I have gone mad trying to drop that on her._

 

“I …. I don’t know what I e-expected.” He scrunched his eyes up. It was difficult to even look at Beka right now. He was pulled closer and buried himself shamelessly into his friend’s shoulder. “I thought that number was dead. I thought - she would never- respond to it.” It was getting harder to speak, and his breath kept making a stupid hitching sound. Otabek didn’t say anything, and just let Yurio stay against his shoulder while he collected himself.

 

Yurio lost track of time, but he came back to Otabek speaking in a low voice. “Yuri, you really don’t look well. Should I get Viktor or -?”

 

“No. No.” Yurio demanded, clinging onto one of Bekas’ hoodie straps. It was ridiculous and weak, but honestly he’d already gone past breaking point so this was just another thing to add to the pile of fucked-up things he’d done. “Viktor can’t know.”

 

“Why?” _The one question I hoped he wouldn’t ask_.

 

“He would be angry with me … for making contact. A-and he’s so excited to go to this shrine thing with Yuuri… I don’t want to ruin his day.” Really stretching his boundaries, Yurio looked up pitifully at Otabek. He wouldn’t beg, but he had to try. “Please, Beka.”

 

Something must have cracked inside him, because Beka stopped being tense and pulled Yurio closer to his side. “Alright,” He murmured. “Alright. Between us then?”

 

“Between us.” They lulled in silence, but Yurios’ head was spinning with possibilities how this could turn out. “Maybe …. I could get closure.” He wondered aloud.

 

“You’re thinking about actually going to meet her?” Beka asked, and Yurio tried to ignore the level of stress rising in his voice. _Sorry, Beka. I didn’t want to have to drag you into this._ He took another second of comfort from his friends’ shoulder then turned towards his closet.

 

“If I go, I could tell her to not see me again.” He pushed around some clothes, trying to let his mind make a decision, but it just couldn’t focus on what it was seeing. Does it really matter? In the end he picked a grey shirt and started to shrug off the big hoodie.

 

“You think that would work?” Beka questioned, sitting down on the edge of Yurios’ bed. Yurio bit his lip.

 

“I really don’t know Beka,” He took off his top and pulled on the grey one he’d picked out. A plan was starting to form in his head. “I think I have to try at least. Go up there and tell her it’s over. I’m not _her_ son anymore.”  He turned round to judge Bekas’ reaction, and was surprised to see he was slightly red in the face and not looking at Yurio. He glanced around the room, confused.

 

“What?” He asked, but Beka just waved a hand towards his general direction.

 

“I-it’s. I knew that you were y’know, but it didn’t really hit until-” Yurios’ eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hands, realising what had happened.

 

He’d just taken his top off in front of Otabek. And hadn’t been wearing a binder. He closed his eyes in embarrassment, and shook his head. _Great, another way to make this morning awkward. Cry all over him and then strip. Good work Yurio._

 

“Ah, I. Wasn’t thinking, sorry…?” He tried, scratching the back of his head. There wasn’t much he could do about that now, and there were more pressing things to deal with. Luckily Otabek seemed to realise that as well and cleared his throat.

 

“It’s not a problem.” Otabek wiped his palms on his legs then stood up. “I collected my motorbike this morning, so we can ride it up there? Or we could take the bus?” While Yurio was glad that Beka was considerate, he snorted and started heading towards the door, pretending to weigh the options up.

 

“Hmm, crowded bus or cool motorbike? Tough one that.”

 

-

 

Riding on Bekas’ bike was just the shot of adrenaline that Yurio needed.

 

The strong wind whipped his long hair around and whisked his tears straight from his eyes. They ended up being red, but not tearful, when they arrived. All that adrenaline drained from him and made his legs weak when he saw the cafe he’d been told _she_ would be in.

 

Beka took a step forward, but Yurio grabbed his arm in panic.

 

“Wait, wait. The plan. Go through it again?” He asked, starting to bite his fingernails.

 

“You go in, and talk to her. I’ll be in a seat near to you with my phone on. The minute you want to leave, text me, and we get back on the bike and go home.” Bekas’ voice sounded like a therapist's, low and steady. Yurios’ heartbeat was anything but. It was leaping in his throat, clammering that this was _danger_ and he needed to get away _fast_.

 

 _I’m not ready, I’m not ready._ His heart cried.

 

 _You have to. It’ll be better if you do._ His brain reasoned.

 

His body became more of a war zone every step they got closer to the entrance. It started to loom up in front of them, and Yurio could only hear high pitched ringing and his sight got super focused. Every beam of light was getting harsher and hurting his eyes, but he forced past that to scan the room.

 

His heart screamed at him to run  - there, in the corner of the cafe, was his birth mother.

 

Nothing else mattered in that moment. Nothing could stop this from happening. He wandered like a zombie over to her and sank into the chair in front of her. Her scent hadn’t changed and she barely glanced at him when he sat down.

 

“I ordered you tea.” She commented. Yurio flicked his eyes down and saw a cooling cup on his side. His muscles were tense and he didn’t make a move to pick it up. Sighing, Milana Plisetsky set down her own cup and folded her arms across her chest. “Same as always I see.”

 

It was a stalemate. Neither of them made to talk - _I don’t think I could if I tried._

 

“So… Viktorovich, hm?” Yurio flinched at the use of his new middle name. “Turning your back on your family so fast?”

 

Anger boiled up inside him, but he cowered from letting himself express that. This wasn’t Yuuri and Viktor - they would accept the angry. Milana wouldn’t. She got angry back. It was easier just not to fight. _That’s not why you came here!_ His brain argued.

 

“They are my family.” He croaked, barely audible.

 

“What did you say?” Milana snapped. Yurios’ protective side came in and he curled his fists into his lap.

 

“I said …. they _are_ my family. More than you. More than that Dad I never knew.” He didn’t look up at her, expecting a hit or a slap. _Maybe because we’re in public she won’t._ She sniffed, and tilted her head at him.

 

“I don’t get it.” She started, frustrated. “I gave you the money you needed to start skating. I did that. I let my father take you to the lesson, and obviously you wormed that stupid thing about you being a boy into his head and didn’t let him forget it. Why would you put an old man through that, hm?”

 

 _He understood that about me!_ Yurio wanted to yell. His voice would crack and he’d cry if he did, but he just sat in silence, absorbing the comments like punches.

 

“And you just left me. You left me crying in that dingy flat, all by myself. You left me and went to Viktor Nikiforov? That ‘man’ can’t skate worth anything. He’s barely older than you, how on earth could you think he was responsible at all-?”

 

“Stop!” Yurio panted, barely holding onto his sanity. He’d grabbed the table as she talked, fury battling with defeat. “Stop.”

 

“I was in the middle of talking Yuri!” She snapped, and grabbed a piece of Yurio’s hair. She tugged it painfully before letting it go. The pain made his eyes sting. “You play with your grandads’ emotions, making him upset about you pretending that you’re a boy. Your hair is an absolute _mess_ , frankly I’m embarrassed to be seen with you. Stop sniffling and don’t cry, you’re drawing attention to yourself. ” She threw a napkin at his face and Yurio wiped his eyes with it.

 

 _Pull yourself together. You’re embarrassing her_. Yurio could physically feel himself be pulled into the dark pit of compliance and anger that he’d stewed in when he lived with her. It was like fresh tar - it’s sticky arms reaching out to pull him back in.

 

“Clean yourself up and then when my business deal is over, you come to Russia with me. I’ll set you up with a therapist there,” Yurio was shaking his head, hating every word he was hearing.

 

“I’m ….not going back with you. I’m s-staying here.” He forced the words out through gritted teeth, and reeled back at Milanas’ harsh laugh.

 

“Like hell I’m going to leave my mess of a daughter in a foreign country-”

 

“I’m _not_ yours!” Yurio raged, fists clenching. “I’m not _yours_ and I’m _not a girl_.” Shaking with fear and determination, Yurio unclenched his fists and took deep breaths. His mother stared at him from her side of the table.

“I can’t change your mind.” She finally said, as if she’d realised it for the first time. Beyond words, Yurio just nodded. She took a sip of her coffee then rested her head in her hands, looking pitifully at him. Yurio stared with wide eyes, unable to take them off her. Sweat made his long hair stick to his head but he didn’t want to move to push it back.

 

“No. You really can’t.” He breathed, leaning on the table to help push him to his feet. Milana snaked a hand out and grabbed his arm. He pulled it back harshly.

 

“Yuri. Stop, please. If I’m not going to see you again then can’t we at least talk now?” _Go, just leave. Don’t hang around. You could get back on the bike with Beka and be home._

 

He sat back down.

 

“If you change your mind, I’m going to be in Japan all month. I’m here on business, publishing a book.” Yurio couldn’t care less about what he was hearing, more that he hadn’t been slapped. Sitting in shocked silence, he let her words run over him until a sentence caught his attention. “-and of course, the skating competition, well I couldn’t have missed that if someone begged me.”

 

“You… you’re going to be at the skating competition?” It came out as a whisper, but Yurio knew she had heard him.

 

“Well, obviously I’m going to see the womens’ skating. Such a shame you won’t be performing with those legends, instead of the fakes like Katsuki and Chulanont. But I suppose I can go to the men’s skating as well.” She turned her nose up at it, but already unlocked her phone to start putting it into the calendar.

 

 _No, no that’s not what I wanted. I should just stop opening my mouth and saying shit - it gets me into a lot more trouble._  

 

“I suppose you’ll be in that one then?” She gave him a disapproving look and he started shaking his head.

 

“N-no. I’m not in that one actually. I didn’t get through.” He looked down, as if he was ashamed, but he started firing off texts to Beka.

 

 

Barely hearing her protests, Yurio pushed his chair back and stormed outside. The air outside felt like a caress on his over heated skin. Legs weak, he leaned on the wall for support and fell into Otabeks' arms the second he stepped towards him.

 

"It's over now, Yuri. It's alright." It wasn't, but Yurio let Beka believe that.

 

"Please .... let's go home."

 

-

 

“Why can’t we just leave without them again?” Phichit complained from where he was lounging on Yuuris’ bed. Yuuri fiddled with the clips on his blue backpack and cleaned his glasses when he answered.

 

“Because it was his idea to go.” He still couldn’t get over that. Yurio _himself_ had asked to go to one of the Japanese shrines - a point of pride for Yuuri and his family. They usually went at least once every two months to get new charms.

 

“Aw, that’s cute.” Phichit smiled from the bed.

 

“What?”

 

“You like that he wants to go to a shrine.” Yuuri cursed himself for being so obvious, but just shrugged, not denying it.

 

“I know he probably just wants to see the other good-luck cat charms-”

 

“- I swear he has a cat kink.” Phichit shuddered and laughed, and Yuuri threw a sock at him.

 

“You joke but Viktors’ honestly considering cutting off his funds when he goes shopping.” Yuuri smiled, remembering that morning where for once they’d freaked Yurio out by getting their revenge for his cat buying habits. “Maybe he’ll slow down after this morning.”

 

Phichit smiled, and tilted his head at him like he was assessing him. Yuuri held his hands to his chest, flushing with embarrassment.

 

“What?” He complained, looking down at himself. He wasn’t really used to anyone looking at him like he was there, still.

 

“You’re happy.” Phichit replied simply. “It’s really nice to see. I just remember us being roommates and I kept feeling there was something missing for you.”

 

“I … I guess I found it.”

 

“Guess you did.” Phichit held his hand up for a fist pump, and Yuuri smirked, bumping their fists together.

 

“Saps.” Mila snorted from the door, which made Yuuri flush. “Have you seen Yurio or Otabek? I was going to ask for a ride up on that cool bike, but it vanished along with them.”

 

 _They were acting strange this morning._ Yuuri remembered seeing Yurio and Beka leave the spa, but hadn’t thought to question it  - Viktor had been distracting him at the time. “They left this morning, maybe they started for the shrine early?” He guessed.

 

“Uh-uh.” Phichit made in a wrong buzzer sort of noise. “You think Yurio knows how to read maps? Or give directions for that matter? The time it took for him to get us to the spa from the airport was _painful_ .” _This is true._  

 

“Maybe they were kidnapped,” Mused Mila which instantly sent chills down Yuuris’ back. It was highly unlikely but even the thought made him fearful. Just then, the front door bell rang out. All three of them glanced at each other, a hint of worry in their eyes.

 

“...and here they come for the ransom money.” Mila finished, as they made their way out into the hallway. Yuuri would never admit he was almost dragging his feet, half afraid that it would actually be an ice-skater kidnapper.

 

Yuuri peered round the corner and could feel the tension drain off all of them when they saw it was just Otabek and Yurio taking off their jackets. They were talking to each other in low murmurs and Beka even put his hand on Yurios’ shoulder for a second. _Had something happened?_

 

“Do you see that?” Mila whispered to them, pointing towards Yurio. “His eyes are red.” And they were, the sort of bloodshot red that Yuuri had seen in the mirror many times himself.

 

Before any of them could make a move, Viktor skipped towards the two - only Yuuri caught the terrified look on Yurios’ face from the angle he was watching from, before he pulled himself back together to give his ‘resting glare face’.

 

“Wooah! No need to get out of that jacket,” Viktor joked, pulling Yurios’ coat back over his shoulders so he was wearing it properly again. He fiddled with the front of it until it sat straight, and didn’t look like he’d just thrown it on anymore. Viktor waved Chris forward, and then started herding Beka and Yurio towards the door.

 

Yuuri, Mila and Phichit came round from the corner, to look like they hadn’t been spying. Viktor caught his eye and smiled, walking over to link their fingers together. “Ready to go?” He asked softly, and Yuuri was fascinated by the excitement in his eyes. His thoughts were already moving on from Yurio’s odd behaviour - Mila had wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and he was groaning halfheartedly about it - and more towards sharing this part of his life with his friends.

 

Just to prove that he was still the best friend ever, Phichit even played ‘I’m so excited’ as they made their way to the shrine. (“It proves that you’re really extra as well Phic.” Yurio commented dryly from the back of the group.)

 

**Kotokuin Temple**

 

Even though he was still dwelling on that morning - Yurio could admit that the shrine was stunning. He arched his neck up, looking at the top of the huge Buddha that dominated the park. From what he could see against the harsh sun, it was one hell of an intricate statue.

 

“I would offer you a piggy back ride- but you’re too much of a piggy and my backs’ not what it used to be.” Viktor laughed, coming up beside him. Yurio tried not to, but let a grin slip. It was nice to see Viktor happy. _And it makes me feel less guilty about not telling him._ He tried to push those thoughts away.

 

“Your back going as well, old man?” Yurio teased. “However will you compete in the championships? Guess you’ll just have to give it to me instead.”

 

“Don’t go getting any big ideas now,” Viktor warned lightly, bumping their shoulders together. Yurio glances over at him, to see him frowning. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, fine.” Yurio darted his eyes around, looking for someone else to latch onto. Anything to make him not have to lie to Viktors’ face.

 

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I thought after the JJ thing, we weren’t going to keep secrets from each other.” He was beginning to sweat under the pressure, and the sun. Really putting on the act, he sighed and turned to face Viktor.

 

“Look at my eyes. Can’t you guess?” He didn’t hide the redness, and let Viktor assess them until he reached his own conclusion. The sharp intake of breath made Yurio tense.

“You’ve been smoking weed.” Viktor said finally.

 

It took all of Yurios’ strength not to raise his eyebrows in surprise. _Not … what I would have gone for, but alright._ He decided to roll with it - pun intended.

 

“Uh, yea. You caught me. This morning I just had the, uh, urge-” He was stopped by Viktor raising his hand, with a pained look on his face.

 

“Ah! No more.” He rubbed his forehead, and Yurio was still in shock that Viktor thought he did _weed_ , of all things. “Just tell me it was a one time thing and won’t happen again.” Considering the fact he’d never done it in the first place, Yurio readily agreed.

 

“Sure thing. Never again.” Viktor patted his shoulder, about to turn away.

 

“I’m just glad it wasn’t something worse.” Yurio winced at the relief in his voice, and tucked his hands into his pocket. He glanced at the Buddha statue again. So serene, yet he still felt it’s gaze on him.

 

“You’ve probably never told a lie in your life, have you.” Yurio muttered, kicking a rock as he walked away, his head bowed.

 

-

 

**@phichit-c**

[image: a dramatic shot of yurio and viktor staring up at the large buddha statue together]

“everything the light touches …. will be yours”

_28k_

**@redceire** breaking out the lion king qoutes LMAO

 

**@yuri-plisexy**

[image: viktor, chris and phichit all coping the buddha pose in front of the statue with yuuri shaking his head behind them]

meet The Extras™

_31k_

**@angelsyelling** SQUAD GOALS AF

 

**@katsudon-yuuri**

[image: classy landscape picture of the sun shining through the branches peeking up at the buddha statue]

so nice to be able to introduce my friends to this shrine (one of my personal favourites) very peaceful! :)

_12k_

**@furkasi**  aww they should have done a meet-up in the park :/

 **@bom-bae**  my friend was there today ahh she might have seen you!!

 **@viktor-ous** sophisticated  <3

 

**@viktor-ous**

[image: selfie of viktor and yuuri holding up the pair of ‘love’ omamori with the omamori store behind them]

not as good as yuuri’s pictures of today, but I just wanted to show these charms! :D

_21k_

 

**@totally-bekaful**

[image: yurio throwing a stick for makkachin, slightly apart from the group]

Good boy <3

13k

 **@no1fanboi** yuriiiii and dogs! dreams can come true ;w;

 

-

 

Otabek let out a long yawn, stretching until his back cracked. “Ahh, felt good. Probably time to get back, right?” Yurio glanced up at the sky, seeing that stars had started to appear above.

 

They’d been investigating this shrine all day, and being in the peaceful green had been a great soother to their frayed nerves. Otabek had nearly died laughing when Yurio had told him the other sort of ‘green soother’ Viktor had thought he’d been on.

 

“Right.” They made their way back to the omamori store, where they’d agreed to meet the others. A bustle of noise caught their attention, and Phichit, Yuuri, Viktor and Mila came out of the dark green around them.

 

“Surprise!” Phichit yelled, jumping towards them with exaggerated movements.

 

Not surprised at all, Yurio and Beka glanced at each other before making the fakest screams they knew how. Phichit stuck his tongue at them.

 

“Pah, I knew I got you really under those tough-guy acts. Hey, look, Yurio I know I didn’t get you a gift yesterday but I totally found the right thing today. We all did, actually!” Cautious, Yurio unfolded his arms and held his hand out for the small object in Phichits’ hand.

 

“You shouldn’t have,” Yurio said, fondly turning over the omamori that read ‘ROAD SAFETY CHARM’. “You…. really shouldn’t have. I don’t drive.”

 

“Consider it a gift for the future- plus, I owed you for being my ‘driver’ from the airport.” Phichit said smugly, and Mila stepped up beside him, laying her own omamori by Phichits’. Yurio recognised it from it’s shape and couldn’t help playfully poking Mila.

 

“Protection from enemies? Seriously?” Mila shrugged, and Yurio could tell she’d been thinking of people like JJ when she brought it. He cradled the charm a little closer with that thought. He frowned when Yuuri and Viktor came forwards as well. “Wait, did you all actually get me a charm?”

 

“I know, our originality is stunning.” Yuuri grinned, putting their own charm into his palms. Yurio let his fingers trace the word for ‘success’ on the black and green omamori.

 

“Well, out of all of them _this_ was the most useless.” He said dryly, but still tucked the charm into the front pocket of his jacket and patted it. He looked at Viktor, who was petting Makkachin and attaching one of the pet-safety omamori onto her collar.

 

“Oh. So the dog gets one and I don’t.” He faked being hurt, pulling hair back into a ponytail. Makkachin looked up at him, and he stuck his tongue out at her. “Guess we all have favourites.”

 

“Yurio! No need to be rude to the lady.” Viktor reprimanded, scooping her into his arms. Makkachin licked his face enthusiastically, and everyone could see Yuuri’s heart pounding from watching the scene.

 

Yurio grabbed the sleeve of Otabeks’ jacket, and was disgusted to see that his friend was smiling warmly at the scene as well. He checked Mila and Phichit - yup, they were just as entranced.

 

 _Gross_.

 

-

 

It was dumb and he knew it was dumb, but Yurio was really aware that Otabek hadn’t given him a charm. He wasn’t, like, complaining it was just interesting that’s all. Keep telling yourself that, his brain mocked. Frustrated, he readjusted his pillow and froze when he felt a brush of silk under it.

 

He pulled it out, and stared at it. The red omamori. _Love._

 

Yurio glanced sharply at the shape of Otabek under the covers of the mattress beside him. _I’m so goddamn lucky to have you_. Even if it was as a joke to get it for him, Yurio pressed the omamori to his heart and then hung it from the corner of his bed.

 

Drained from the day, Yurio fell deep asleep.

 

-

 

“.... Viktor. That’s your phone.” Yuuri groaned, the bright light of Viktors’ phone lighting up the dark of their room. Barely awake, Viktor stumbled towards where he’d left it charging and squinted at the screen.

 

 _24 missed calls. 3 texts. . . from Nikolav?_ Not aware enough to understand the situation, Viktor had to skim the texts three times. And then he’d never felt more awake.

 

“Yuuri, wake up.” His fiance complained but Viktor just pushed at his shoulder more, turning on the bedside lamp. “It’s important.” He sat on the edge of the bed, and waited for Yuuri to sit up, handing him his glasses.

 

“Thanks,” Yuuri yawned, taking Viktors’ phone and reading the messages. His yawn turned into a gasp halfway through reading. “Wait, Yuri saw his mother today? The abusive one?”

 

Just the mention of her was making Viktor nauseous. She had been a manipulative woman from the get go and for Yurio to have seen her today … “He must have been pretending to be fine the entire day.” Unable to sit down, he started to pace the room.

 

“Poor Yurio.” Yuuri muttered, pulling the covers closer around himself in the cold room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “That must have been where he went earlier with Otabek.”

 

Viktor stopped dead. “What?”

 

“Yurio and Otabek left for a while and no one knew where they went.” _Otabek is responsible for this somehow?_ He’d once told Yuuri that he knew how to hide a body, and he really hoped he wouldn’t have to make good on that promise now.

 

“I need to speak to Yurio-” But Yuuri was in his face, pushing him back from the door.

 

“Not right now, you don’t. If Yurio did go to see his mum, he would be exhausted by now. Plus the whole day at the temple.” Yuuri reminded him, patting his chest. “Talk to him in the morning about it, when he’s had some time.” _He’s not telling me anything ...._ _again_. Viktor shook his head, taking Yuuris’ hands off his chest.

 

“I couldn’t sleep if you paid me right now.” He gave Yuuri an apologetic smile, squeezing his hands. Nodding with understanding, Viktor gave a tense smile when Yuuri kissed his cheek. Without a word, Yuuri climbed back into bed and Viktor made his way down into the kitchen.

 

 _We promised that he’d tell me if something was affecting him_ . The thought was trapped in Viktors’ mind, whirling repeatedly. _And the whole of today, was any of that real happiness? Was it all an act?_ His heart started to ache and his head pound. _Poor, sweet Yuri. Having to deal with that woman was bad enough as a competitor let alone a mother._

 

He froze to the door of the kitchen, having switched on the lights to find another person in that space.

 

“Oh, Viktor. Hi.” Otabek gave him a tired smile, taking sips from a cold looking glass of water. Viktor had the strange urge to pour the glass over his head and demand why he took Yurio to see his mother. He steadied his breath, and slid the door close behind him, to Bekas’ curiosity.

 

He stood in front of Beka, and had to keep reminding himself that he _couldn’t_ have known better. Measuring his breaths, he tried his best to explain without betraying Yuri’s  trust.

 

“Yes or no, you took Yurio to see his mother today.” He took Bekas’ eyed widened and his grip on the water tightening in as a sign. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

“I didn’t- he-”

 

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Viktor tried to keep his emotions in check - but the gravity of the situation was undeniable. “Taking him to see his mother today was in the politest way, a very bad move. I understand that to you, maybe talking it out was the easy answer. This isn’t the case for them.” He pushed back some silver strands from his face.

 

“You see … abuse isn’t always physical. It can be verbal as well. And Milana Plisetsky,” Viktors’ fist tightened even saying her name. A low pulse of frustration settling in. “She knows how to use words to her advantage. She’s a businesswoman - a successful one. As a competitor, she could charm the judges into giving her higher scores and completely destroy a rivals’ life.” Viktor could still remember the devastated looks on some of his friends faces, complaining about Milanas’ harsh responses.

 

“Imagine living with that, everyday.” Otabek had gone pale, looking down to the floor. “Imagine growing up with that. If it hadn’t been for Nikolav and myself, I don’t think Yuri would have ever realised what he was going through wasn’t normal.”

 

“I … had no idea.” Otabek swallowed, his eyes distant.

 

“It’s not your fault.” Although every part of Viktor was screaming for him to put the blame on someone, he knew that it wasn’t. Beka thought he’d been helping a friend, and without all the knowledge, had just acted. “You didn’t know.”

 

“He was so determined to see her.” Viktor felt the rage leave him, leaving only sadness behind. He nodded slowly.

 

“That’s the tricky thing with abuse. It wants to pull you back.” Still not satisfied, and not able to talk to Yurio until the morning, Viktor opened the kitchen door again. “A run, that should clear my head.”

“In the dead of night?” Otabek asked distantly, both of them wrapped in their own thoughts.

 

“Yeah. If I’m not back in the morning, I’ll be at Chris’ hotel.”

 

-

 

With that, Viktor left, leaving Otabek in his own thoughts.

 

The ice had melted into the water whilst he’d been sitting there. The pain he felt right now was indescribable, having put Yurio through that. Totally, blissfully, unaware.

 

Otabek sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

  
_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i know, more yurio drama lmao. it wouldnt be this fic without it! :) 
> 
> ** as a friendly rl warning, please don't do what Yurio did in this chapter and keep your abuser contacting you to yourself. please reach out to either friends, family, or a help center as they can give you reliable advice. keep safe <3


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